Renewal
by DustNight25832
Summary: The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. Now it seems as though Hermione's life is slowly spiraling out of control, and Draco is slowly trying to rebuild his reputation. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate. Disclaimer inside.
1. One

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friendship, and intimate. Disclaimer inside.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies!**

**Author's Note****: **Hey everyone and Happy 4th of July! This idea sort of came to me a while back and I decided to write it all down! Not sure where exactly this is going right now, but I really love this first chapter! I am planning on working on _Letting it all Go_ and this—once I finish _In the Heart of the Storm_ of course! I'll probably post opposite. This first chapter is really long due to the fact that it's all background and sets up the story! Hope you enjoy this little holiday treat! Please let me know what you think…REVIEW! (Also I am going to be looking for a beta for this fic and _Letting it all Go_ so let me know if you're interested!)

**Song Recommendation****: '**_Too Close' by Alex Clare_

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August 3, 1998

Hermione was currently sitting in the Dursley's kitchen drinking a cup of tea with Harry's aunt Petunia. She was still trying to figure out how exactly this had come to be, but it had been a crazy three months since the end of the war. She sighed and looked out the window at the sunny sky. Petunia gave her a wondering look and then went back to reading the newspaper. Vernon was at work and Harry was taking a walk with Dudley.

Hermione looked down into her nearly empty, cold cup of tea and tried to figure out what she was going to do next. An owl had come for her this morning from Hogwarts asking her to return to finish her seventh year, and also offering her the position as Head Girl. It had always been her dream to be Head Girl. It would be strange to return to Hogwarts now, after everything that happened there in May. She had been weighing the pros and cons of returning all morning and now late afternoon was creeping in and she still had no idea what to do…but what she wanted more than anything was to finish her education.

Getting up from the table she placed her cup in the sink and turned to leave the room. She could feel Petunia's gaze on her back as she exited the room. She went upstairs into Harry's old room, the room she happened to be sharing with him at the moment. Sitting down at his desk she pulled her letter towards her:

_August 1, 1998_

_Dear Ms. Hermione Granger,_

_After months of rebuilding, we are glad to announce that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be opening again on Tuesday September 1st. If you are interested you are permitted to return and finish your final year of schooling. _

_It is with immense pleasure that we are also offering you the position of Head Girl. We are hoping that you will return as Head Girl and be a shining influence to the other returning students as well as the new students. _

_If you could please return an owl with your answer by August 10th that would be greatly appreciated as if you decide not to return we will need to find another Head Girl._

_Thank you and Have a Great Summer!_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress_

Hermione refolded her letter and stuffed it into the open flap of her duffle. She would definitely be returning to Hogwarts. There really was no further reason to ponder on the idea. She needed to finish what she started; she always did. She would have to wait until her next visit to the Weasley's to send an owl as Harry still had not replaced Hedwig. He still was acting funny. The war had really affected him, as it had everyone, but the loss of so many lives was still weighing down on his shoulders.

Harry had been gone when she'd woken up to the tapping on her window indicating the owl with her letter. Petunia had told her that Harry and Dudley had packed a lunch and taken a walk to the park they used to frequent when they were younger. Apparently, they had said something about catching up and mending bonds. That sure sounded like Harry these days.

Hermione slid off her jeans and lay down on the bed in just her navy blue t-shirt and knickers. She needed a nap…something she was doing a lot of since the war. She just always felt tired or worn down. Three months had just flown by. She rolled over onto her side and started to think about what had brought her to 4 Privet Drive.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

May 3, 1998

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were sitting on a rock by the Black Lake. Across the lake, Hogwarts was still smoldering slightly. The smell of stale magic hung in the air. Ginny was combing through the knots in Hermione's hair since she really didn't have the energy to do it herself. Ron was trying to mend his shoes and Harry was looking at a photo of his mother from the old photo album Hagrid had given him.

Hermione looked over at Ron. She had spent the night with him in one of the dorm rooms overnight. Mostly everyone who was involved with the war had stayed at Hogwarts yesterday trying to move the dead, clean up, and start to rebuild. Her and Ron had slipped off well after midnight and found a room. Then they proceeded to make love.

But something had been off.

Hermione had felt none of the passion she had felt from earlier when they had kissed during the battle. Had the passion been just an effect from the heat of the moment? She had loved Ron for quite some time, and now, now she felt like her love just fizzled out. She sighed as Ginny finished her hair, the war was the end of a lot of things, but she didn't realize it would be the end of her love for Ron.

Ginny stood up and stretched, "Look, Mum is coming over." She pointed to the right of the lake. The other three stood up and waited for Molly to get there. Harry pocketed his photo and Ginny transfigured the brush back into a stick. Molly had sent the four over here to take a break from repairs because every time Harry had seen something ruined, he had thrown a fit and started crying.

Hermione took a good look at Molly. She had tears stains down her cheeks, dirt was smudged on her nose, her robes were torn, and she looked utterly exhausted. All of this was expected as the woman had lost her son and been a key component in the demise of Bellatrix Lestrage. "Children, we're just about done…Arthur has…he's moved Fred's body home." She took a deep breath, "I think we should all head home too."

Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement and Harry turned his face so no one could see his tears. Hermione decided to speak, "That sounds lovely, Molly. Are we going to apparate?" Molly nodded and they all began to walk towards the gates. Suddenly, Hermione stopped and let out a giggle. The others looked at her with questioning eyes so she let them in on her 'joke', "We can just apparate from here. The wards have been broken and McGonagall hasn't replaced them yet."

Molly gave her a small smile, "Of course, Hermione. That slipped my mind. I'm sure Bill, Fleur, Charlie, and Percy will be home later. They're all still helping out. George left with Arthur." Ginny let out a little sob so Molly took her hand and apparated home. Ron left next leaving Harry and Hermione standing looking at the smoldering remains of the former Quidditch pitch.

"It's going to be really awkward staying with the Weasley's." Harry mumbled while fixing his glasses.

"Yes."

"I don't think we should stay there long."

Hermione placed her hand on his shoulder, "We need to stay until after the funeral. They will need us. Ginny will need you, Harry. She loves you."

He nodded, "Yes, and I love her…Ron, he loves you too."

Hermione sighed and looked up at the sky, "Yes, I know, and I am not sure what I feel anymore. The battle…it changed me."

"I understand. I am not the same either." Hermione simply tilted her head in question so he continued, "You two were together last night, and that might have been enough for you, but you know Ron, he's going to want more."

"I'll figure something out."

After a single bob of his head, Harry looked her in the eye and apparated to the Burrow. Kicking a stone out of the way, Hermione followed suit.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

May 9, 1998

It was eight in the morning and Hermione was not surprised that no one was awake yet. Yesterday had been a rough day for everyone, especially the Weasley family. It had been Fred's funeral and clearly everyone was still sleeping off the pain.

Hermione was sitting quietly at the kitchen table in the Burrow. The home smelled of fresh paint, new wood, and magic. It would never be the same as it was before it was set fire, but everyone was working their hardest on rebuilding. As she sat in the quiet of the new morning she was thinking of the day before.

_Fred had been buried in a plot just outside of Ottery St. Catchpole and the wake was held under white tents in the backyard at the Burrow. George had insisted that his twin be buried close to home and that was exactly what was done. Hermione had stood with Ron as his older brother had been lowered into the ground. He had held onto her wrist so tightly that she had briefly lost feeling in her fingers._

_After they had all returned home she had helped Molly and Ginny set out all the food and then she had wondered off to sit quietly under a tree. The tree was far enough away from all of the people and so that no one would bother her. Unfortunately, Ron had followed her. He sat down next to her and quietly took her hand in his once more._

_Hermione felt nothing, but when he leaned over and kissed her, she kissed him back. Then when he slowly lowered her to the ground, she let him do that as well. And then, she let him make love to her under that tree as his family and their friends mourned the loss of Fred Weasley in the backyard of the Burrow._

_Later that evening as the lightning bugs began to float through the air she sat at a table drinking a glass a white wine. Harry came over and joined her._

"_You slept with him again."_

"_Yes."_

"_Have you decided what you're going to do yet?"_

"_Not quite."_

"_We should leave tomorrow."_

"_And go where, Harry?"She sighed and drained her glass._

_He shook his head, "I don't know. We could just get a room at the Leaky Cauldron…or a Muggle hotel."_

_Hermione transfigured her glass into a lightning bug and watched as it fluttered towards the kitchen. It would turn back into a glass as soon as it landed in the sink._

"_That will be fine, Harry."_

Hermione sighed and laid her head down on the table surface. It smelt fresh and new and wasn't nearly as comfortable as the pillow on her bed in Ginny's room. She smoothed her hand across the surface and closed her weary eyes. She had snuck out of the room around three in the morning because Ginny had been crying in her sleep. She couldn't stay here any longer. She needed out. She needed to figure things out. She hoped that Harry had told Molly and Arthur that they would be leaving today. She didn't want to do that, even though it was selfish to think so.

She was just starting to doze when she heard footsteps on the stairs. She whipped her head off the table just in time to see Ron enter through the living room. His hair was still damp from a shower and she could smell his aftershave. He was wearing his dress robes from yesterday and a startled look upon his face.

"Oh, Hermione, I didn't know you were awake."

She swallowed, "I haven't actually been to sleep."

Ron frowned, "Why?"

She waved off the question, "Where are you going?"

He put his right hand on the back of his head, "Well…um…I was going to head out to…well, I am going to Lavender's funeral this morning."

Hermione blinked twice at him, "Lavender Brown?"

"Yes…Greyback killed her you know."

"Yes, I was there."

"I'm just going to pay my respects, Hermione."

"Harry and I are leaving today. We're going to stay in a hotel."

Ron sighed and looked at his feet, "I knew you two wouldn't stay long. Will you be back?" he met her gaze.

"Yes, of course. We'll be back to help you all rebuild…and to visit."

Ron nodded and walked to the door, "See you later, then."

"Goodbye, Ron."

She watched as he walked outside and heard the pop as he disapparated.

Later that day, Harry and Hermione checked into a small hotel near King's Cross station.

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June 24, 1998

New.

Everything in Diagon Alley was new and magnificent. Hermione was wandering the street and peering into the windows. It was amazing how quickly the shopkeepers and residents of Diagon Alley had rebuilt. Everything was gleaming in the summer sun! She stopped in front of Ollivander's and looked through the door. Mr. Ollivander was stacking little boxes with freshly made wands inside them on the many shelves. He spotted Hermione through the window and waved. She smiled and waved back before continuing her way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

Here and there people would wave or yell out a hello at her, and she would smile politely back, but she pretty much kept to herself. She wanted a nap desperately and was trying to get back to her and Harry's room so she could divulge herself in one. Harry was currently at the Burrow spending some time with Ginny, so she would have the room to herself for a while.

She and Harry had stayed in the hotel by King's Cross until a small Muggle girl had accidentally seen Harry using magic. After that they had relocated to the newly renovated Leaky Cauldron. Hermione had scolded Harry for using magic in front of the girl. To be honest she was enjoying their stay away from the wizarding world—except for their visits to the Burrow.

So now they spent their days either walking the streets of Diagon Alley replenishing magical items that they had lost or over at the Burrow working on finishing the rebuilding. Harry spent more time there than she did. Truth be told, she was avoiding Ron. She hadn't talked to him for a few days after he had gone to Lavender's funeral, but she didn't know why. She wasn't jealous or hurt. She was just hoping to figure out a way to end whatever it was that they had started. However, things had taken a turn for the worse yesterday.

_Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny had all gone to dinner. They had all eaten and enjoyed a few drinks in a small pub in Muggle London. The atmosphere was light and friendly and Hermione didn't feel uncomfortable with Ron around for once. Afterwards, Harry and Ginny had gone back to the room to be alone so she took a walk with Ron down Diagon Alley to look at how Gringotts was coming. _

_They were making small talk about the new storefronts and how George was planning on expanding his business once Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was done being rebuilt. They were almost to Gringotts—Hermione could see the stone steps—when Ron had pulled her into an alleyway. He pushed her against the cold brick wall and proceeded to hike up her dress. Before she could protest about the conditions of the alley, he crushed his lips onto her mouth and kissed her until it was hard to breathe. He then fucked her against the wall. It was frantic and wild and not the lovemaking she was used to him giving her._

_When he was finished, Hermione felt raunchy and dirty, not to mention sore from his roughness. She just wanted to go back to the room, shower, and have a good cry, but Harry and Ginny were no doubt busy still, so she was stuck walking painstakingly slow to Gringotts and then, finally, back to the Leaky Cauldron. Luckily, Ginny and Harry were having a nightcap at the bar when she pulled Ron into the building so she quickly said her goodbyes and bolted to the shower. _

Now as she curled up for her nap she was running ideas of what to say to Ron the next time she saw him. There was absolutely no way she could be his lover or anything else anymore. He made her feel dirty and guilty…

It had to end.

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July 27, 1998

Hermione was currently eating an apple and going through _Hogwarts a History_. Her original copy had been destroyed so she had purchased a new one a few days ago. It didn't matter how many times she had read this book, it would always be her favorite. She took a bite and turned the page to read about the charmed ceiling in the Great Hall. She hoped that they would be able to repair that detail. It had always been a favorite of hers, especially in the winter.

It was going on five in the evening and Harry should have been back a while ago. He had gone on some sort of errand, but he had not filled her in on the specifics. She was just finishing her apple when the door to their room flew open. Harry was standing there soaking wet. Hermione threw the apple in the rubbish bin and slowly turned to look out the window. It was pouring outside.

"Harry, why are you soaking wet? Why didn't you cast a drying spell?"

Harry looked down at himself and laughed, "Oh. It slipped my mind."

Hermione rolled her eyes and nonchalantly waved her wand. In seconds Harry was dry. He plopped down next to her on the bed. Rolling his eyes at her choice of reading, he closed the book and clasped his hands together in his lap.

Hermione looked at him and widened her eyes in question.

"I have to go back."

"Back…back to Hogwarts?"

He shook his head, "No. I need to go back to Privet Drive."

Hermione stared at him in silence for a few moments hoping he would elaborate. When he didn't she cleared her throat, "Why?"

He shrugged, "I know that the magic that protected it is long gone now…and that I no longer need protected, but I need to go back for, well, me. I've always gone back there, every summer, even though it was awful most of the time. I need to go back and make sure they're alright. They're the only family I really have left."

He looked down at his hands and Hermione saw a tear fall onto his lap. She was used to his emotions by now—they had been living together for quite some time. After some thinking she closed her eyes, "Sure, Harry, we can go."

He smiled sadly as he got up from the bed, "Thanks, Hermione."

"Anytime."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

July 31, 1998

Harry was frantically pacing in the front yard of 4 Privet Drive. Hermione was sitting on the front steps with her elbows on her knees and her chin cupped in her hands. They were late. The Dursley's were due back an hour ago and when they hadn't arrived Harry had gone outside to pace the front yard. Hermione sighed as Harry made yet another sweep of the walkway. Closing her eyes, she thought about how the past few days had gone…

_July 28, 1998_

_Hermione and Harry had checked out of the Leaky Cauldron and taken a bus to 4 Privet Drive. Harry was obscenely nervous—cracking his knuckles, playing with his hair, and drying his sweaty palms on his jeans. Hermione spent the bus ride staring out the window and wishing Ron would stop sending her owls inviting her to visit at the Burrow. After their little alleyway tryst, she was not looking forward to the next confrontation between the two of them._

_Harry stood suddenly and pulled Hermione up by her jumper sleeve. The bus came to a halt and Harry dragged her off; luckily Hermione was able to throw the fair at the driver just before the doors closed. He kept hold of her arm as he marched them up the street, left, right, down another street, and then finally they stopped. There on a sign right in front of them said: Privet Drive._

_Harry sighed and put his hand in his pockets, "Well, this is it."_

_Hermione nodded and walked forward having Harry follow behind. She walked them down the street until they stood by a mailbox painted with the number four. Harry opened the gate and walked to the door. He knocked twice and stood back. Hermione waited by the mailbox. The door did not open._

"_They're not here."_

_Hermione looked around and spotted a face in the window next door window. She walked up to the door and knocked. A woman with an extremely long neck answered, "May I help you?" she asked while drying her hands on a dishtowel._

"_Hello, I'm Hermione Granger. My friend, Harry Potter, used to live here with his relatives, the Dursley's. Do you happen to know if they'll be back soon?" Hermione gave the woman her most charming smile._

_The woman seemed to be examining her and she must have come to the right conclusion, because she smiled back, "Nice to meet you, Hermione. Is that really, Harry? He really has grown! The Dursley's are staying with Vernon's sister. Apparently, she is ill and not doing very well. I've been taking care of the house for the past year. Do you need let in? I can give the spare key."_

"_Yes! That would be very helpful. Harry and I have been traveling and he doesn't have a key. If we could just get in and give them a call, maybe rest up a bit."_

_The woman nodded, "Wait right here. I'll be right back."_

_Hermione looked back over at Harry. He was sitting on the front stoop staring at the ground. Hermione shook her head. He really was an emotional one lately. She yawned, and she was always so sleepy. She turned back to the doorway just as the woman came to it._

"_Here we are! Just make sure to bring it back over if you decide to leave!"_

"_Thank you so much!"_

_Hermione went over to Harry, "Here, we have a way in."_

_He quickly stood and took the key jamming it in the door. It unlocked easily enough and the two of them stepped inside. The house was dusty and needed aired out. Hermione immediately opened the windows in the living room._

"_Harry, find the telephone book and call your uncle's sister's house. They're staying there while she's ill."_

_Harry nodded and went off to find his aunt's little phonebook. Locating it on the stand in the kitchen with the phone, he turned to his Aunt Marge's number and picked the phone up. Hermione joined him as he took a deep breath and dialed._

_It rang a few times, but finally there was s click, and Dudley's voice answered, "Marge Dursley's residence. How may I help you?"_

_Harry stood quietly for a moment until he heard his cousin whine, "Hello…?"_

"_Dudley. It's Harry. Is Aunt Petunia there?"_

"_Harry?! Yes, she's here. Hold on."_

_Harry waited and Hermione gave him a reassuring smile. She hoped they wouldn't be cruel to him now, especially since sending them away probably saved their lives._

"_Harry?"_

"_Aunt Petunia?"_

"_Yes, Harry, it's me. Is everything alright? Where are you?"_

_Harry sighed in relief, "My best friend, Hermione, and I are here, at Privet Drive. The neighbor let us in because we didn't have any way of contacting you…the normal way."_

"_Yes, Marge certainly would not have appreciated any owls flying about."_

_Harry laughed, "I just wanted to make sure you all were safe. Everything is alright now. It's safe for you to return home if you want."_

"_Then it's over? That explains why there haven't been any weird news reports. I cannot wait to get out of here."_

"_When will you be back? Can Hermione and I stay here until then?"_

"_If we leave tonight, we should be home by four o'clock Friday afternoon. You two can stay as long as you need to."_

"_Thank you…we really don't have anywhere else to go right now."_

"_Harry."_

"_Yes, Aunt Petunia?"_

"_I'm glad you're alright."_

"_I'm glad you three are alright too."_

"_See you Friday."_

"_Bye."_

_Hermione smiled as Harry put the phone back in the cradle. He turned towards her with huge tears in his eyes. Hermione pulled him close and let him cry his tears of relief. After he was done they ordered some dinner and then she sent Harry next door to let the neighbor know they would be staying._

_While he did that Hermione began to clean up the house. She opened the windows, but kept the curtains drawn so she could use magic to clean. Harry returned with their dinner and then they spent the next few days cleaning and preparing the home for the owner's return._

Suddenly she realized Harry had stopped pacing. She glanced up and smiled. Harry was standing by the carport as the Dursley's pulled in. She got up from the stoop and brushed her bottom off before going to meet them. Harry was opening the door for Petunia, and when she stepped out she looked exactly how Harry had described her to him—except she didn't have a pinched look on her face. Actually, she smiled and gave Harry a slightly uncomfortable hug as she exited the car.

Harry then went to the trunk and helped his uncle unload their bags. Dudley walked up to Hermione and asked, "Who are you?"

Hermione smiled gently, "I'm Hermione Granger. I'm one of Harry's best friends. It's nice to finally meet you Dudley."

Dudley smiled in what he probably thought was a charming way, "Are you his girlfriend?"

Hermione actually laughed. Though they had been sharing a bed for a while, they were far from intimate. She didn't say all this to Dudley though. Instead she replied, "No. He's dating Ginny Weasley, the sister of our other good friend Ron…I'm…uh…seeing Ron." She didn't tell Dudley that she didn't wish to be seeing Ron either.

"That's too bad."

"Yes, I know."

Dudley smiled and went inside. Hermione waited for Harry and Vernon to pass inside with the luggage before turning to say hello to Petunia. Petunia stood staring at Hermione very strangely. Hermione walked forward and held out her hand.

"I'm Hermione Granger. I'm glad to meet you."

Petunia looked at her face and then her hand before slowly taking it with her and shaking it.

"You're a witch then, I suppose."

Hermione smiled sweetly, "Yes. I went to school with Harry, but I grew up with non-magic parents. They're both dentists actually. I'm comfortable using or not using magic."

Petunia nodded, "You're like my sister then. She didn't know anything about magic until that bloody owl came." Hermione nodded and Petunia continued, "You two won't be using magic around the house will you? It upsets Vernon."

Hermione shook her head, "No, we'll refrain. We used magic to clean the house and prepare dinner, but we're both used to doing things the Muggle…um, non-magic way as well."

With a curt nod of her head, Petunia led the way inside. Once the door was shut she looked around, "You two really did clean the house." She sniffed, "And is that roast beef I smell?"

"Yes, it's one of Harry's favorites."

Petunia looked startled, "Today is his birthday."

"Yes."

"Oh, dear, we forgot again."

"My family being safe is the best birthday present you could have gotten me."

Petunia and Hermione whipped their heads around to the kitchen doorway to find Harry standing there. Vernon and Dudley looked aghast at what Harry had said, but Petunia stifled a sob and enveloped Harry in a hug.

Apparently, things would be very different at 4 Privet Drive from now on.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

August 3, 1998

"Hermione. Hermione."

Hermione had fallen asleep reminiscing about the past three months. Harry was eagerly trying to shake her awake. "Come on Hermione, wake up. Aunt Petunia said you got a letter! And that it was from Hogwarts!"

Hermione groggily opened her eyes and sat up, trying to pull down her t-shirt over her underwear. Not that it mattered; Harry had seen her half naked plenty of times. She wiped her eyes and looked at the clock. It was well after six. She had slept the afternoon away. When would this napping end?

"Sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to sleep so long. Yes, I got a letter. Let me get it for you." She staggered to her duffle and pulled the letter out. She joined Harry back on the bed and let him read through it a few times. Finally, he looked back up at her.

"I didn't get invited back."

"I'm sure it's on its way."

"No…Ginny and Ron both got one today as well."

"Oh."

"I don't think I could go back anyways…"

"My guess is McGonagall thought that too."

"You'll be going back then?"

"Yes, Harry. I think have to."

"Thanks for sticking with me all summer, Hermione."

"Harry, I'll always be here for you."

She gave him a huge hug and then got up to put her jeans back on. Then they went downstairs together to eat dinner with the Dursley's.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


	2. Two

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****: **Alight! Here it is—chapter 2! Two posts in one week! That's intense for me! I think Saturdays are going to be my official, 'Post Day' for this fic! I'll update _Letting it all Go _on Wednesdays and I have the epilogue for _In the Heart of the Storm _ready to go, but I'm waiting a few more days for that! I hope everyone enjoys this chapter…I've already begun chapter 3. A special thanks to my Beta, **StoneFeather30135**! Check out her fic, _A Light within the Darkness_ if you get the chance!

**Song Recommendation****: **_'Everybody's Fool' by Evanescence_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

September 1, 1998

"Come back with me, Harry."

Harry was currently pushing a cart with Hermione's trunk through King's Cross station. They were just heading past platform number six on their way for Hermione to catch the train back to Hogwarts. Harry turned and gave her a sad look.

"Hermione, I can't. Plus, I was just accepted into Auror training. I start next week!"

"I know…it's just not going to be the same without you, and even Ron, there."

"Ron?"

"Well, yeah…I mean we did have that falling out, but you two are my best friends. It will be different this year."

"Yes. It will be."

Hermione sighed as they passed platform seven. A lot had happened since she got her letter to go back to Hogwarts. She had finally ended things with Ron, thank Merlin, but it definitely had changed a lot of things. First of all, Ron had decided to decline his invitation to return to Hogwarts as Head Boy and applied to Auror School instead. He and Harry were both accepted and were set to start training next Monday. She was proud of them, but disappointed she'd be returning alone. Secondly, he was absolutely not talking to Hermione; not that she minded after what he did.

As they passed platforms eight and nine, Hermione began to feel nervous. She had no idea who the Head Boy would be, or if any of her other friends would be coming back too. There would be Ginny and Luna of course, but they were _meant_ to be there this year. She would be a return—different from the others.

They stopped in front of the wall they would walk through to Platform 9 3/4.

"You ready?"

"No."

"You ready?"

"Yes."

Harry laughed and pushed her cart through the barrier with Hermione following behind. Hermione gasped at the beauty of the Hogwarts Express. She literally never thought she would see it again, let alone actually be boarding it to return to Hogwarts. She followed Harry towards the front of the train so he could help her stow her trunk in the Head's compartment before venturing off to find Ginny.

She waited outside while he put her trunk away. She glanced around looking for familiar faces, but only saw the faces of younger students that she knew. A few smiled or waved, which she returned, but she didn't see anyone else. She felt something on her foot and looked down, "Trevor," she asked picking up the toad. She quickly looked around hoping to see Neville. She felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she whipped around.

"Neville!" She beamed up at him.

"Hermione! I'm so glad to see you!" He gave her a quick hug, "I see you've found Trevor. He always gets away from me somehow. Oh! I heard that you're Head Girl! Congratulations! I always knew it would be you."

She blushed at his compliment. Neville truly had done a lot of growing up over the past summer. She had heard that his grandmother had become ill and he'd spent the summer taking care of her. She wondered who would take care of her now that Neville was returning to school. She was glad to have a friendly face there with her though.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're coming back as well. My grandmother told me I didn't have a choice but to return; not that I mind. I'm taking Advanced Herbology!" Hermione smiled at him, but before she could reply, a large grin spread across his face, "Oh, look, there's Hannah Abbott. I'll see you later." With that he took Trevor from her hands and hurried off to say hello to Hannah.

"Was that Neville?" Harry asked coming up behind her.

"Yes. It looks like he has a girlfriend."

"Hannah Abbott?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I thought Ginny mentioned that at some point. Good for him."

"His grandmother is ill."

'That will be another funeral we have to attend."

"Yes."

"I better go and find Ginny."

"Thank you, Harry, for bringing me here today."

"You've been there for me all summer. I.."

"I'll always be there for you, Harry."

"I know."

"Go find your girl, Harry."

"Okay. Have a good semester. See you for the holidays…don't forget to write."

"Bye, Harry."

"Oh, and one last thing: don't forget to ask Flitwick about a spell to restore your parent's memories!"

"I won't."

She gave him a quick hug before watching him disappear into the crowd. She slowly made her way onto the train and sat down by the window in her compartment. A few minutes later the train whistle blew. She leaned back into the lush seat and closed her eyes as the train began to leave the station. After a while she opened them to examine the compartment.

It was odd that there was only her trunk in the corner. Where was the Head Boy? She hoped that he would turn up soon. She would like to discuss what their plans were for the upcoming year before the Prefect meeting that was to be held in an hour. It would definitely be nice to touch base and get to know one another. She settled back down and pulled her legs up onto the seat next to her as she looked out the window again. It wasn't like her to dwell on things, but she couldn't help wishing Harry and Ron were sitting across from her, eating Bertie Botts, and telling tales like they used to.

If only things hadn't ended the way they did with Ron, maybe it would have been him sitting in this compartment with her…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

August 22, 1998

_Hermione and Harry were at the Burrow for Saturday night dinner with the entire Weasley family. It was a grand affair and Hermione actually found herself enjoying the night. That could have been from the numerous glasses of wine she had consumed though. George and Ginny were getting ready to set off some more fireworks when Hermione excused herself to go to the loo._

_She took a few minutes in the loo to splash some cold water on her warm face. The late August heat was adding to the effects of the wine. She sighed and pulled her hair up into a ponytail to relieve the heat on her neck. Even though she was having a pleasant night, she wanted to head home soon. It was going on past eleven and she'd feel bad getting in so late at the Dursley's. Harry was probably planning on staying the night, but Hermione had no plans of shacking up with Ron for the night. _

_She exited the loo with the plan to tell Harry she was heading home, only to be greeted by Ron leaning against the wall opposite the door._

"_Ronald, what are you doing up here? Are the fireworks finished?"_

"_No, but I wanted to show you something. Come upstairs with me."_

_He took her hand and led her upstairs and into his bedroom. The walls no longer contained Quidditch posters, but now held framed photos of his friends and family. In Hermione's opinion it was a very mature room now. She walked fully into the room to look at the picture on his bedside table. It was a photo of her and Ron. In it she was standing off to the side looking uncomfortable while Ron was smiling brightly. It made her feel uncomfortable how even a wizard photo showed her true thoughts. _

_She turned around to finally have 'the talk' with Ron only to find him unbuttoning his shirt. She walked towards him holding up her hand to stop him, "Ronald, no, I think we need to talk."_

"_Let's talk later." He dropped his shirt and pulled her to him by the hand she had held up. He kissed her mercilessly and pulled her jean skirt upwards. She really tried to push him away, but the fury she felt towards his actions was quickly turning into passion. She didn't love Ron, but she couldn't help the lust that bloomed when he pushed two fingers into her. She moaned into his mouth. _

_Luckily, he stopped kissing her, but he turned her around to face the end of his bed. Bending her over he instructed, "Hold onto the rail."_

"_Ron, please…I…"_

_But he must have taken her pleading for pleasure, because instead of stopping to listen to her, he slammed into her. She screamed out in pain, but he didn't stop. She held onto the bed rail with all she had as Ron pounded into her. Finally finished, he slowed and let her stand upright. He helped her sit on the side of the bed as he righted his clothes and hers. He turned and gave her a lopsided smile, "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"_

_Hermione was shaking with fury. This was the last straw-this twisted relationship she had with him had to end. She stood up and paced by the bed not sure how to begin. She closed her eyes and rubbed them until she saw stars. Taking a deep breath she opened her eyes._

"_Ronald, I'm not going to sugar coat this because I just…can't. There's absolutely no way to make this sound better…"_

"_Go ahead, Hermione. We're going to be Head's together this year. We have to learn how to work together."_

"_That's just it, Ron, I don't _want_ to work together. I love you…I just don't love you like you _love_ me."_

_He didn't say anything so she continued warily, "I haven't for months actually, and until now I just didn't know what to do about it. But tonight was the last straw! You wouldn't stop trying to…to… to fuck me long enough to _listen_ to what I had to say! I can't do it anymore! I can't be your girlfriend, your lover…_nothing_!"_

_She stared at Ron. He seemed to be composing himself. He stood up slowly and walked so he was in front of her. She looked up into his face and saw that his cheeks were flushed with rage now, not the aftermath of the sex. He also had tears in his eyes, which she was quite certain were from the rage because his eyes seemed to glow with emotion._

_She opened her mouth to speak; to apologize or something, when the unthinkable happened:_

_He raised his right hand, pulled it back, and smacked her with as much force as he could muster. The force of the blow had Hermione grabbing the rail of the bed she had been forced to hold moments ago, but this time it was to save her from falling to the floor. Steadying herself she looked back at him with tears running down her face. She tried to stifle the sob that escaped her, but couldn't. _

"_Hermione…I'm sor-..."_

"_Shut the fuck up, Ronald."_

_With that she ran from the room, down the stairs, and outside. Hiding her face as much as possible, she motioned for Harry to come to her. _

"_I'm leaving."_

"_What's wrong? Why are you hiding your face?"_

"_Ask Ronald."_

"_Um, alright."_

"_See you at home."_

_She apparated home to the backyard of the Dursley's. All the lights were off, indicating they had gone to bed, so she slipped in the kitchen door and tip-toed up to her and Harry's room. Stripping out of her clothes, she threw on one of Harry's old t-shirts and got into bed. Only then did she allow herself to cry her eyes out. _

_Hours later she felt Harry slide into bed. She was still crying softly and he wrapped his arms around her. She let him snuggle her until her tears subsided. He grabbed his wand and whispered, "Lumos."_

"_Let me see."_

_She turned her face around and he lightly let the tip of his finger drag across her cheek. When she heard his intake of breath, she knew it had to look bad._

"_He told me he's sorry."_

"_I don't care."_

"_I know."_

"_I told him it was over…that I didn't love him the same way."_

"_You should have told him sooner."_

"_I know."_

"_He's sent an owl to McGonagall resigning as Head Boy."_

"_Good."_

"_He's also going to send an owl applying to for Auror School."_

"_I don't care what he does."_

_She felt Harry nod against her neck. He whispered, "Nox," and they plunged into darkness once more._

"_Do you want me to heal it?"_

"_No."_

"_What are you going to do? It's a nasty bruise."_

"_Glamour it so no one sees."_

"_Okay."_

"_Thank you, Harry, for coming home to me tonight."_

"_Ginny wasn't happy."_

"_I don't want to cause a problem between you two."_

"_She understands."_

"_Goodnight, Harry."_

"_Goodnight."_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A knocking on the Head's compartment door brought Hermione out of her reverie. She got to her feet and slid the door open. The group of Prefects stood there. Luna and Ginny were in the front. Ginny stepped forward, "We were wondering when you wanted to have the Prefect meeting. We're nearly to Hogwarts now."

Hermione glanced out the window; sure enough she realized they were only about a half hour away from school. Turning back to her Prefects she smiled, "Let me just throw on my school robes and then we'll begin." The group filed into the compartment and Hermione slid into the bathroom to change. She couldn't believe she had lost track of time—and that the Head Boy obviously wasn't going to show. Maybe McGonagall hadn't been able to replace Ron. What the hell was she going to do if that happened?

Joining the Prefects back in her compartment, she was sincerely glad she and Ron had worked on a round schedule weeks ago. She dug through her bag in search of it as the students chatted about issues they thought needed addressed. She hadn't seen Ginny since the night of the incident with Ron. She actually hadn't talked to any of the Weasley's since then. She wondered, even though Ron slapped her, if they would take his side.

Locating the schedule, she plastered a smile on her face and turned to begin the meeting. Only a few changes had to be made due to Quidditch practice or club meetings, and the entire group was happily satisfied with their duties by the time the train pulled into Hogsmeade. The group filed out and went off to escort students to the boats or carriages. The only two to stay behind were Ginny and Luna.

Luna gave Hermione a quick hug and then stepped back. Ginny stepped forward to give her hug.

"We didn't want the others thinking you'd show us favoritism if we hugged you earlier."

"Oh, it would have been alright, Ginny."

"Mum sends her love and luck. George said to make sure you don't let the power go to your head like Percy…and Percy said don't listen to George."

Laughing, Hermione shook her head, "Thanks."

"You haven't been to the house lately. Harry said you and Ron broke up. Ron won't tell me a thing."

Hermione led the way to an empty carriage. The three boarded; all giving the threstrals a weary and sad glance. Once the door had shut and they began the trek to the castle, Hermione continued the conversation, "Yes, well, we both wanted different things. I didn't know it would make him resign his Head Boy position. I hope Molly wasn't mad at me."

Ginny shook her head, "No, she thinks he's being an idiot, but she likes the idea of him and Harry becoming Aurors."

"That's good."

"Hermione, do you have a glamour charm on your face?" Luna asked in her dreamy voice.

Hermione inwardly groaned as Ginny flung across the seat, took Hermione's face in her hand, then proceeded to examine it. "You do!" She let go, "What did you do?"

Hermione used her wand to undo the charm and both girls gasped in horror at the purple and yellow bruise on her cheek that was taking a ridiculously long time to heal. She should have let Harry heal it the night it happened. She thought that he would have at least told his girlfriend, but he was such a loyal friend she couldn't be upset with him.

"Well, Ron…he slapped me when I broke things off with him."

She was greeted with silence as her two girlfriends stared at her in absolutely horror. Luna was the first one to get her voice back.

"That wasn't very nice of him. The nargles will be after him for sure."

"Shut it about the nargles, Luna. What the _fuck_ do you mean, my _brother_ slapped you?"

"I told him I didn't love him…he didn't take it very well."

"I am _absolutely_ going to _kill_ him the next time I see him. And, _Harry_, he didn't even _bother_ to tell me!"

"Don't be mad at Harry. He probably thought it was best not to say anything around the family."

"Still, I cannot believe this. Ron's anger was always an issue, but I never thought something like this would happen. He's become such a loose cannon since the War. Why didn't you have Harry heal it?"

"Harry _is_ rather good at healing bruises." Luna piped in smiling.

"I wanted a reminder of the pain I caused Ron by not ending it sooner."

"You, Hermione, are _insane_."

"Thanks, Ginny."

"I have some healing potion in my bag. I can bring it to you after the feast if you'd like." Luna offered.

"Thank you, Luna. I'll just put the glamour back on for now, though." and she did just that.

Ginny was fuming; shaking her head and mumbling about the situation as they exited the carriage and walked into the castle. The three stopped just outside the Great Hall and Ginny grabbed Hermione's shoulders, "You are _not_ at fault for what my idiot brother did, understand? He should never touch you like that. If it _ever_ happens again, you come right to me. He'll be sorry."

Hermione nodded and allowed Ginny to give her a hug. She just wanted the conversation over.

"See you later, girls." Luna said and _literally_ skipped over to the Ravenclaw table. Ginny and Hermione waved and went to sit at the Gryffindor table. Once settled, Hermione lifted her head to gaze at the ceiling. They had somehow managed to repair its enchantment, and you could see the lovely starlit sky. It gave Hermione's chills, but she finally realized that she was indeed, back at Hogwarts, her home.

She turned her attention to the students; searching for a boy with the Head Boy badge clipped to his robes, but found no one. Where was he? Who was he? Hagrid caught her eye from the faculty table and gave her a wink, and a wave, which she returned. She would have to remember to stop down his house Friday afternoon after classes, as was tradition. Maybe Ginny, Luna, and Neville would want to join her.

The door opened and in walked the first years with Professor Hooch leading them. She was leading them since Professor McGonagall was sitting in Dumbledore's old seat in shimmery red robes. She looked extremely regal and beautiful. Hermione shut her eyes in a silent prayer for Dumbledore. When she opened them the first years were beginning to be sorted. Hermione made sure to clap for every student no matter which house they were sorted into; although she did clap especially loud for the new additions to the Gryffindor house.

Once everyone was settled, McGonagall stood and waved her hands for attention.

"I would like to welcome everyone to Hogwarts. I hope that this year will be a year of rebuilding, revival, and renewing for the school, as well as everyone who dwells here. Before we get to the usual rules and regulations, let us feast!"

Hermione still loved how the golden plates suddenly filled with food. She was sitting with Neville and Ginny and they all made idle chat while they ate. Hermione was preoccupied though; she couldn't stop looking for the Head Boy. She would have to confront McGonagall about the issue after the feast.

When everyone had eaten their fill of dinner and desserts, the plates cleared, and McGonagall stood once more.

"Alright, students, let us get down to business. As usual, Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds to all students. Students are not to be out and about after hours as the castle can be treacherous at night. I would also like to remind students that they should not go looking for certain areas of the castle without permission or supervision." Hermione was pretty sure she meant the Room of Requirement, "Quidditch tryouts will be in two weeks, and I must add that first years are not permitted to try out." Hermione and Ginny grinned at each other remembering how Harry had been an exception, "And lastly, I would like to introduce our Head Girl, a returning student who wishes to complete her seventh year, Ms. Hermione Granger."

At this there was a burst of applause, some students even stood to honor her. Hermione blushed, but waved in acknowledgement of the praise. Being a War Hero would become exhausting. Hermione glanced up as the applause died down; this was it, she would find out who the Head Boy was.

McGonagall cleared her throat, "Unfortunately, our Head Boy was unable to get back in time today, and so he will be announced tomorrow morning. Now everyone to bed as classes begin in the morning!" Students began making their way from the Great Hall. Hermione waved Ginny on as she sat there in utter disappointment.

Professor Slughorn stopped in front of her, "What's wrong Ms. Granger?" he asked politely.

"Oh, it's nothing Professor. It's just really been a long day."

He smiled down at her, "Well you should scurry up to bed! I'll see you in Advanced Potions tomorrow afternoon!"

Hermione smiled and nodded, getting up from the table. She was making her way to the door when she spotted Professor Flitwick. She ran over to him before he could disappear, "Professor!" she called for his attention.

He stopped, turned, and beamed up at her, "Ms. Granger! What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with a spell."

He chuckled, "Classes haven't even started and you're already eager to learn. What spell are you interested in?"

"I need a spell to restore my parent's memories. I performed the 'Obliviate' spell to keep them safe during the War, and I haven't been able to locate a counter curse."

"Ahh, yes. That _is_ a tricky one. I will do some searching. I might have the book you need in my quarters. Check with me tomorrow morning when I see you for class. I hope I can find it."

"Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome, Ms. Granger. Have a good night."

"Goodnight."

Hermione stood in the empty Great Hall and closed her eyes. She let the memories of the past flood into her. She could actually smell the stale magic, blood, sweat—tears. She shuddered; so much had happened here last year, how on earth had she come this far? How had they managed to remake Hogwarts? Truth be told, this new Hogwarts would never be the same as it had been before. Sure it looked the same, and surprisingly, smelled the same, but it would never reverberate with the same magic it did two years ago. Too much had happened.

Dumbledore was gone, Snape was gone…Harry and Ron weren't here, as well as the other students who she grew up with. Breathing slowly and deeply she opened her eyes and swallowed hard. She was utterly exhausted. She needed to find her dorm and fall asleep.

When she knew the hallways would be clear, she made her way up to Gryffindor Tower, slowly. She wanted to take in all the changes to the castle. Most students wouldn't notice the little changes, but because she'd read _Hogwarts a History_ so many times, plus spending so much time wandering the castle with Harry and Ron, she noticed the subtle differences: A missing painting, a change in the stone wall, and even a missing vanishing step. She even noticed that some of the staircases now moved differently than before—a fact which would be confusing for returning students.

When she finally reached the portrait of the Fat Lady she was practically falling asleep standing up, "Butterfly Clouds." She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous password and the Fat Lady swung forward to let her into the common room. Hermione glanced about at the portrait clicked shut behind her. Only a few students still lingered. She waved and made her way up the Girl's staircase. Her private dorm was at the very top of the stairs across from the seventh year girl's dorm. The door was shut so it was safe to assume Ginny and the other girl's were asleep.

Hermione opened her door and entered the room. Closing the door, she leaned back against it to take in her new bedroom. The floor was hardwood with a large maroon throw rug. There was a huge dresser and full length mirror to her left. To her right was a large sliding door, that when opened, revealed a closet with all of her clothes and uniforms hung up. Her shoes were lined up nicely on the floor. She smiled and shut the door. Straight across was a huge four post bed with curtains. She couldn't wait to snuggle under that duvet and pass out. There on the nightstand next to the bed was a traditional alarm clock. Rolling her eyes she opened the door next to the nightstand.

She gaped into the brightly lit room—it was her own personal bathroom. She had _no_ idea she would have her own bathing room! The tub was as deep and luxurious as the one on the Prefect's bathroom. She also had a large sink and vanity area with a big mirror. Turning she realized there was also a shower in the corner. Getting ready in the morning was going to be amazing.

She wandered back into her room and stripped out of her school clothes. She dug through her trunk at the foot of the bed and located her favorite sleeping garment; Harry's old t-shirt. Finally she pulled back the bed sheets, set her wand on the nightstand, and crawled into the bed.

Laying in the darkness, she couldn't help but remember the last time she slept in the castle…

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

May 2, 1998

"_Come on, Ronald, before anyone notices we're gone."_

"_Calm down, Hermione, everyone has probably fallen asleep already."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes as she led Ron through the rubble of the castle. It was hard to navigate with all the fallen beams, destroyed walls, and scattered staircases. She was looking for an empty dorm room, and so far she hadn't had any luck._

"_Why are we looking for an empty room anyways?"_

_Rolling her eyes she decided not to answer. The light from her wand was nowhere near strong enough to break through the darkness of the castle. It was almost midnight, almost May 3__rd__, almost one day since the demise of Voldemort. She was certain that as soon as Harry or Molly noticed they were gone there would be a full sweep of the grounds._

_Meanwhile, all Hermione wanted was to spend a night with the man she loved._

"_Finally." She mumbled as she found an untouched room. It was slightly dirty, but considering the grime that covered the both of them, it wouldn't matter. _

"_Come inside, Ronald."_

"_Alright."_

"_Shut the door…and lock it."_

"_Hermione, are we going to…"_

"_Yes."_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Ronald, come here."_

_He walked towards her. He was covered in filth and had tear stains tracked down his cheeks. Only hours ago he had lost his brother. Hermione sighed and grabbed the collar of his shirt; pulling his mouth down to hers. He responded eagerly, and she led them to the bed, never breaking their kiss._

_When they stopped by the bed she rid him of his shirt and then pulled hers over her head as well. Ron stared at her greedily, and she used the confidence of his stare to finish removing her clothes. Ron's breathing hitched as he saw her stand before him completely naked. Hermione smiled at him._

"_Take off your pants."_

_He did as he was told and then she took his hand. She placed it on her breast and Ron stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Hermione moaned at the sensation of skin on skin. She wanted this more than anything; she had wanted this since he'd kissed her earlier in the day._

_Somewhere a clock chimed midnight letting her know that the day of the end of the second Wizarding War was over. This somehow struck a nerve inside of her and she pushed Ron down onto the bed. This needed to happen—now. She pulled him on top of her and began to kiss him with everything she had. She loved this man. They had somehow survived the War, and now they could be together forever. _

"_Are you ready, Ronald?"_

"_Yes."_

_She helped him inside of her and then they both moaned together. Neither of them were virgins. She had lost hers to Victor, and he had lost his to Lavender. They were no strangers to being intimate with another person, but as they began to move with one another Hermione began to feel a sense of panic._

_Something was wrong. She couldn't get her mind to focus on Ron. She couldn't feel the magic and passion she had always felt for him. It was just…gone. Just like that, this had gone from something beautiful and perfect, to just some milestone they needed to get past._

_She managed to lose herself in it somehow, but her heart was definitely not a part of it. When Ron finally came and rolled off of her, she didn't know what to say or do. She just laid there naked and panting, pretending to fall asleep next to Ron who was already starting to snore. _

_After he was fully asleep, she got up from the bed, redressed, and stepped into the hallway. She covered her face as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Sliding down the wall, she landed in a crumpled heap on the floor where she then bawled her eyes out for a good few hours. Her heart ached for the loss of her love for Ron. She had always thought they would end up together…_

_Finally, as the sun began to peek over the horizon she wiped her face and snuck back into bed with Ron. She laid next to him and fell into a restless sleep hoping he hadn't noticed her absence. _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione was crying softly into her pillow remembering everything that had happened between her and Ron. She should have just told him that day how something was off—that she didn't love him the way she thought she had. Now, she was alone at Hogwarts without her two best friends.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be a better day. Rubbing her sore cheek, she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Hope you liked! Please Review!


	3. Three

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****:** Woo! Hello everyone! Hope you're enjoying this fic because here is the next chapter! So I'm going to be updating this fic on Saturdays normally and _Letting it all Go_ on Wednesdays! However, as a special Friday the 13th treat, I am posting a day early this week! And as always, a wonderful shout-out to my fab beta, StoneFeather30135!

**Song Recommendation****: **_'Hold On' by Marty Casey and Lovehammers _

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

September 2, 1998

The alarm clock went off way too early in Hermione's opinion. She was used to sleeping until nearly noon and crawling out of bed half an hour after that. Her summer with Harry had completely ruined her 'rise before dawn-be in bed before midnight' routine. However, it was the first day of classes, and breakfast was at eight, so she had to get up. She should probably try and get back on her old sleep schedule too!

She sat up and turned off the bloody alarm with a grunt and pushed the covers off of herself. Thinking about the day ahead only made her scowl; she was sure her schedule was packed full and that she would have homework to do as well…not to mention she'd have to make time to meet up with the Head Boy and catch him up on her and the Prefects' plans.

Hermione made her way into the bathroom and snatched up her toothbrush. While she was brushing, she stared at the beautiful bathtub wishing she had time for a bath, but that would have to wait until tonight. Maybe she could read while she bathed…the thought was enticing. Putting her toothbrush back on the counter, she had to opt for a quick shower instead. After the shower she magically dried her hair to save time and quickly brushed it out.

Heading back into her room, she grabbed some undergarments out of the dresser, and then her new school attire from her closet. She had just finished getting dressed when there was a small 'tap tap tap' on her door. Making sure all the buttons were done up on her blouse, she answered the door. Outside there was one of the fifth year Prefects, Abigail, if Hermione remembered correctly. She was holding a stack of envelopes and looking slightly nervous.

"Good Morning, Hermione."

"Good morning. What can I help you with?"

The girl thrust an envelope towards her, "I went down to breakfast and Professor McGonagall asked me to hand out the schedules to the girls of Gryffindor. I think David is taking care of the boys."

Hermione accepted the envelope and looked at it in her hands. Usually she was the first one down to breakfast and would be handing out the schedules. She was in a different world this year. Glancing at her watch she noticed it was already five after eight. She needed to finish getting ready. She smiled gently at Abigail.

"Thank you, Abigail. Make sure that everyone gets their schedule by the end of breakfast. I will see you later."

The girl nodded and scurried down the stairs. With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, Hermione shut the door. Hurrying over to the vanity, she hastily applied light make up and made sure she didn't look a mess for the first day of classes. She wanted to make an impression on her schoolmates. When she was satisfied, she gathered her bag and opened the envelope containing her schedule for the year. She knew it was going to be a busy one. Her stomach immediately went into knots at the sight of it:

Monday and Wednesday

9am to 11am: _Advanced Charms_ [Flitwick]

11am to 12pm: _Advanced Alchemy_ [Spagyric]

Lunch

1pm to 2pm: _NEWT Study Group_ (Monday Only)

1pm to 2pm: _Free_ (Wednesday Only)

2pm to 4pm: _Advanced Potions_ [Slughorn]

11:30pm to 1am: _Advanced Astronomy_ [Sinistra] (Wednesday Only)

Tuesday and Thursday

10am to 12pm: _Advanced Transfiguration_ [McGonagall]

Lunch

1pm to 2pm: _Advanced Study of Ancient Runes_ [Babbling]

2pm to 3pm: _Advanced Arithmancy_ [Vector]

3pm to 4pm: _NEWT Study Group_ (Thursday Only)

Friday

9am to 10am: _Advanced Ancient Studies_ [Spinks]

10am to 12pm: _Seventh Year Project_ [Advisor TBD]

Lunch

"Seriously?" she groaned. So much for that relaxing bath tonight; instead she would be up until one in the morning staring at constellations and planets. Why in Merlin's name did she sign up to take Astronomy again? Plopping down on her bed in frustration, she thought about the fact that she really didn't even know what she wanted to do after school. Knowing she had to get a move on, she stood up and opened her trunk, realizing that she had no idea what her future held, which was exactly why she had taken so many subjects.

She hurriedly threw her Charms, Alchemy, and Potions books into her bag and zipped it shut. At least she had a free period today; she might _actually_ have time for a quick nap. Another look at her watch and she was on her way to breakfast. Hopefully the Head Boy would be there.

She was surprised at how little students there were at breakfast, but seeing as it was already eight thirty, most had probably already come and gone. Scanning the room for a badge, she was disappointed to find none, as she plopped down at the Gryffindor table. She prepared herself some toast with marmalade and some tea. Just as she was about to grab a book from her bag to pass the time, she heard the tell tale flutter of wings announcing the arrival of mail. She wasn't expecting anything, so she was surprised when a little gray owl landed in front of her.

She was holding a simple white envelope in her beak, and as soon as Hermione took the letter from her, she flew back towards the ceiling. She had no idea who the owl belonged to so she quickly opened the letter. Unfolding it, she was happy to see that it was Harry's scrawl on the page.

_Hermione,_

_Ginny sent me an owl last. She wasn't very happy with me, but no need to worry. I was planning on telling her about Ron eventually. I wanted to give you the chance to do so if you wanted to. Don't be angry with her…she means well._

_She also sent an owl to Molly about the situation._

_Take a deep breath…_

_Okay, good. _

_Obviously, Molly was extremely upset with Ron. She kicked him out of the house. I have him staying here with me at the Dursley's for now. I told him he can't be here when you come home for the holidays. He's not thrilled, but he understands. _

_Anyway, I just wanted to let you in on the situation. I hope you're enjoying school and have a good first day of classes. _

_Love, Harry_

_PS: How do you like my new owl? Her name is Lilith._

Hermione folded the letter back up with a sigh. This morning was not exactly going as she had planned. Even though she knew that Ginny would never be able to keep her mouth shut about Ron, she hadn't expected it to happen this soon. Shoving the letter into her bag, Hermione went back to her breakfast, in an even worse mood than before. A few moments later, Ginny plopped down across from her and began filling her plate with eggs.

"Good morning, Hermione! How did you sleep in your new room?" She gave Hermione a cherry smile, but it faltered at the look on her friend's face.

"Oh…he told you."

Hermione decided it was best not to start an argument with her best girl friend so she shrugged, "Yes, but it's alright, Ginny. No harm done really."

"What do you mean, 'not really'?"

"Oh, I thought you would have heard."

"Heard what?"

"Well, Molly sort of kicked Ronald out. He's staying with Harry for a while."

"She _didn't_?"

Hermione nodded and finished her tea. She didn't really know what else to say. She purposely hadn't wanted Molly to find out because she had known what she would do. Molly absolutely did not agree with violence; especially now that the War was over and done with. Hermione couldn't blame her really; what Ronald had done was completely out of line.

"I cannot believe it. She really kicked him out then? Hmm, serves the bugger right."

"Ginny, I don't want to cause friction with your family, certainly not now, you know…"

"Oh, shut it, Hermione. Ron slapped you! He should have been hexed; would have if I had been there."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm not saying he shouldn't be punished, but to be kicked out of his home…"

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. We both have full plates this year. I've got to owl Mum. I'll see you in Charms!" With that said she pushed her uneaten breakfast away, grabbed her bag, and dashed out of the Great Hall.

Hermione was just about to get up herself, when she saw Professor McGonagall enter by the front of the room. _Finally_. She settled herself back down at the table and pulled her bag into her lap. She gazed around, but still, saw no one who could be Head Boy. McGonagall called the students who were left in the hall to order and then smiled down at them all.

"Good morning students. I hope everyone has had a good night's sleep and are ready for the first day of classes. Before everyone heads off to their first class, I want to introduce our Head Boy for the year. He has finally arrived; please let me introduce, returning student, Mr. Draco Malfoy."

Hermione's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "What!" she cried out and then followed McGonagall's outstretched arm to see if she hadn't heard incorrectly. She slowly swiveled around on the bench and groaned in frustration at what she saw. Draco Malfoy was leaning against the door to the Great Hall. He had his arms crossed, a smirk upon his face, and his tie wasn't even done up yet. Hermione huffed and took her bag with her as she got up from the table.

She watched Malfoy walk over to the Slytherin table and sit down. Only then did he do up his tie. Once he was finished he proceeded to fill a plate with food. Hermione stomped over to the Professor's table with the hope of asking McGonagall exactly what was going on. When she reached the table the Headmistress smiled down at her.

"Oh Ms. Granger, I'm glad you were here for the announcement. Please make sure to meet up with Mr. Malfoy later seeing as he just arrived this morning."

"Headmistress, I was just wondering…is Malfoy really the Head Boy?"

Her long time Professor's smile faltered as she took her seat at the table, "Ms. Granger, of course he is. He was next in line after Mr. Weasley. He will be a wonderful Head Boy."

"But Professor, he wasn't even here yesterday."

"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy wasn't able to be here yesterday because he had his trial in front of the Wizengamot. He needed to be present in order to be cleared of the charges against him as a Death Eater. Fortunately, he was cleared, and therefore he has been allowed to return to Hogwarts as Head Boy."

Hermione shuffled her feet and glanced over at Malfoy. He did indeed look a bit pale and tired. He had circles under his eyes, and he even managed a yawn before pouring himself a cup of coffee. Hermione was surprised to see he was sitting alone at the end of the table. No other Slytherins had joined him. She turned back to her Headmistress.

"I'm sorry Professor; I had no idea that he still had to go to trial. It is good to hear that he was cleared of the charges."

McGonagall looked down her nose at her student, "Yes, but I'm sure he will still be a bit put out over the situation. Apparently, his father was not so lucky. He will be serving fifteen years in Azkaban for his misdeeds. Draco's mother was able to get her charges cleared however. I do expect you to show your fellow students how he should be treated."

Hermione nodded, "Yes, Professor."

"Good, now you better head off to class! You don't want to be late on the first day." And with that said, McGonagall returned to her breakfast and Hermione pushed her embarrassment aside before heading to Charms.

Heading into Charms, Hermione was glad to see that Ginny and Luna had saved her a seat between them. She walked over and settled in for class. Luna was reading a copy of her father's magazine and looking for errors with a red Quill and Ginny was furiously scribbling a letter to her mother so Hermione pulled out her book and parchment for class. She was still fuming over the whole Malfoy situation, but she waited for her friends to put away their projects before speaking up.

"You two are _never_ going to guess who the new Head Boy is."

Ginny turned to her looking confused, "Who Hermione?"

"Draco Malfoy!"

"What? No! You have to be mistaken!"

"She's not." Luna piped in, "I saw him come into the castle. He had the pin on his robes."

"Yes." Hermione explained, "And McGonagall said he was late because he had his trial yesterday. I don't remember hearing about it…but then again I didn't really keep up with the papers this summer."

"I think dad mentioned it to Ron and me a few weeks ago. Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco all had to go in front of the Wizengamot. Do you know what happened?"

"McGonagall said that Draco and Narcissa were cleared, but Lucius has to spend the next fifteen years in Azkaban. I thought that after they abandoned Voldemort, they would all be cleared. Believe me though; I think he got what he deserved."

Luna nodded in agreement, "He did some atrocious deeds during the war. I do feel bad for Draco though, I'm sure he will be having a really hard time because of it."

Ginny huffed, "I agree."

Before they could discuss the matter further, Professor Flitwick hobbled into the room and began class.

"Alright students, today we will be studying the _Convenience_ charm. This is used to help you with everyday necessities, such as washing dishes or folding clothes."

Hermione immediately started to take notes. Her notes would have to be extremely meticulous this year so that when it came time to study for NEWTs she would have everything she needed. For the first part of class they took extensive notes and the second part was used for practicing the charm. By the time the bell rang, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione had massive piles of folded laundry around them. They had giggled the entire time reminiscing about how Molly loved this charm.

"Alright, girls, I will see you later. I have something to talk to Flitwick about a spell book."

The girls smiled knowingly and filed from the room as Hermione approached the Professor's desk. He glanced up at her from the pile of notes he was organizing, "Ah, Ms. Granger, here about that book I presume?"

She nodded and mentally crossed her fingers. She had hoped to have her parents memories returned before the holidays. Her hopes fell at the sad look in Flitwick's eyes.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the book, but I will keep looking. In the meantime, I have a note giving you permission to browse for it in the Restricted section of the library." He handed her a note and she lifted the corner of her mouth in a small smile. She was disappointed, but now she had free reign of the library to entertain her and she would probably find a useful spell to help her parents before Flitwick found that book. Everyone was always complaining about how his office was a disaster!

"Thank you, Professor. I better hurry; don't want to be late for Alchemy."

She left the class while tucking her note into her bag. She was nearly to class when she spotted two fifth years snogging behind a tapestry. With a groan of frustration, she pulled the tapestry back utterly startling the students. The pair jumped apart faces flushed from their activities and embarrassment.

"Ten points apiece from Ravenclaw. Now hurry to class before I have to deduct even more."

The students hurried off in the direction of their next class and with a scowl, Hermione resumed her way to class as well, knowing she would be late at this point. This made her even angrier; seriously, it was the first day and already she wanted to strangle someone.

She quietly slipped into the class, spotted the first empty seat, and scurried towards it. She settled her things down and pulled her parchment and quill out to begin taking notes. Alchemy was a highly intense subject, and she didn't have any plans of getting less than a perfect grade in it. Professor Spagyric was a fast talker and Hermione tried to take as many notes as possible. She would have to ask someone to fill her in on what she missed later. They were discussing the alchemist, Dzou Yen, one of the fathers of Chinese scientific thought, today.

When her quill emptied she reached her arm over to dip it in the ink well. Unfortunately, her desk partner had the same idea and they both managed to knock over the well. Mumbling a quiet apology, Hermione immediately used her wand to clean up the mess. She then glanced up to give her partner an apologetic smile, but her smile was quickly wiped from her face when she saw that Draco Malfoy was seated next to her,

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

Malfoy rolled his eyes at her and leaned closer, "I should be the one asking _you_ that question, Granger, seeing as I was sitting here first when you wandered into class late."

She narrowed her eyes, "I was only late because I had to deduct points from two students snogging in the hallway on the first day of classes."

"Still doesn't matter. I was here first."

Hermione chose not to answer but finished the class in a hostile silence. As Spagyric was ending class, he assigned an essay on Dzou Yen, which was great, seeing as she already had an essay to write about the necessity of the _Convenience_ charm to complete. At least she had until Monday to complete both. She was just about to get up from her seat when Spagyric stopped them.

"Also, I would like to remind you to take in the seats you were at today, as they will be permanent for the year."

Hermione groaned, flung her notes into her bag, and stalked out of the room hoping that lunch would be a much better experience than her morning proved to be. Halfway down the hall, a hand grabbed her shoulder to stop her. She flew around in surprise.

"Granger, when can we meet up to discuss Head duties?" Malfoy asked.

Seething, Hermione thought about her schedule for the day, "Are you free after lunch?"

Draco casually pulled his schedule from his pocket and gave it a thorough look, "Actually, yes. Will that work for you?"

"Yes, Malfoy; I will see you then." She turned on her heel and went on her way to lunch. Just before she turned the corner she glanced back. Malfoy was still standing there looking after her. Wondering what his problem could be she inwardly shrugged and headed to lunch, already dreading the afternoon.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lunch had not been any more pleasant than her morning had been. Ginny had come running in half an hour late and when Hermione asked where she had been the redhead explained she had been working on getting her Seventh Year Project settled.

"Your project?" Hermione had asked.

"Yes, I decided on what I wanted to do with it." Ginny said flippantly as she ladled beef stew into a large bowl.

"So what have you decided on?" Hermione said, beginning to panic about what she could do for her own project.

"Oh, I put an application in with Madam Hooch. I want to study Quidditch further. I'm thinking about trying out for some teams after I graduate. It's my dream to be a chaser on a team somewhere."

"What is Harry going to think about that?"

"Harry? It's really not his decision, is it? Being a chaser is _my_ dream and I'm going for it. I'm not saying anything about him going to Auror training, am I? That's his dream. I would prefer him finding a career doing something safer, but I couldn't ask him to do that. He would be unhappy."

"I guess you have a point."

"So, what are you doing for your project? I'm sure you have loads of ideas."

Hermione hesitated. She hadn't even thought about what she wanted to do after school. She would probably like something within the Ministry of Magic, maybe law enforcement or something. She really had no idea. How could she have let herself get so far behind?

"Oh, I have a few options…"

"I knew you would." Ginny scooped up the last of her stew and looked at her watch. "Well, I've got to get to Herbology. See you at dinner!" And with that Ginny tossed her spoon aside and sprinted from the room.

Hermione too glanced at her watch only to roll her eyes at it. It was time for her to go and meet Malfoy- just what she wanted to do with her only free hour of the day. Gathering her things, she headed over to the Slytherin table; might as well hurry up and get this over with. There were so many other things she could be doing…like finding a project or searching in the Restricted section for that book!

In the past, when a Gryffindor would approach the Slytherin table they would be met with jeers or snide remarks, now; however, Hermione was met with no resistance at all. No one even looked up to acknowledge her presence, not even Malfoy who had his head down reading his Alchemy book and taking notes. It was so strange to see him doing school work that Hermione was momentarily rendered speechless. She just stood there gaping at him for a full minute before she realized what she was doing and cleared her throat.

Malfoy marked his page with his parchment of notes, closed the book, and then glanced up to meet her gaze. Upon seeing who had disturbed him, he tucked his book and quill away in his bag and stood to up to greet her.

"Are you ready to go then, Granger?"

"Yes. We should probably do our rounds while we're at it."

"Where is your next class?"

"Advanced Potions in the dungeons."

"I have the same. Let's start at the top of the castle and work our way down then. We can discuss duties while we walk."

Hermione nodded and turned on her heel. She could hear Malfoy keeping up behind her as they made their way to the top of the castle. They had an hour before class which meant there was plenty of time to get their rounds done…and their discussion. Maybe she could even pop into the library very quickly before class…

She stopped at the foot of the Astronomy tower staircase and turned to face him. He looked at her expectantly, but instead of starting off the conversation, she raised her eyebrows for him to initiate it. They stared at each other for a moment in silence before he looked around the hall.

"Well, everything is all clear here. Let's get going."

They began their slow inspection of the halls, only having to stop three students for skipping class before Malfoy started to discuss things.

"So, I heard that the round schedule has already been decided. Does that include us?"

"No, we basically make our own schedule. We're expected to patrol during our free periods and at night after curfew, but anything other than that is our own decision."

"That's easy enough."

"Yes, but we also have weekly meetings with the Prefects. We decided on Monday evenings at eight in the Great Hall. Will that work for you?"

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you playing Quidditch this year?"

"I'm not sure yet. I think I will have to try out again."

"Oh."

"I might just try to focus on my studies this year."

"How very grown up of you."

"Yes, well, mother expects me to make the Malfoy name presentable these days. I don't think slacking off in classes just so I can play seeker will make her very happy."

"I heard about your father."

"I don't want to talk about it, Granger."

"I was just going to say, that it's going to be tough for you this year."

"I'm not thick. I know that."

Hermione stopped outside of the library and looked longingly at the stacks of books inside. She just wanted to get to work; this chatting up Malfoy thing was definitely not how she wanted to spend her rounds.

Draco smirked at her, "Am I boring you, Granger? I guess I'm nowhere near as interesting as your studies."

"Don't be rude, Malfoy. I have other things on _my_ mind as well."

"Oh, like what, Granger? Are you looking for a book on how to properly shag Ronald Weasley?"

Hermione literally stomped her foot, "Don't you _dare_ talk to me about Ron, Malfoy. Don't you dare!" She screeched at him while jabbing her finger into his chest.

"You have absolutely, _NO_ idea what you're talking about." She pulled her bag tighter around her, gave Malfoy one more dark look, before stocking off into the library leaving him to finish the rounds on his own. She had a good twenty minutes before class still, and she fully intended on searching for that book. She didn't turn back to see the shocked, and then, sorrowful, expression Malfoy had on his face before he turned and headed towards the dungeons.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione was extremely tense by the end of the day. She'd been late to Potions, so once again she'd been forced to partner up with Malfoy. The pair spent the entire class leaning as far away from each other as possible without looking like they were actually falling out of their seats. Luckily, Slughorn didn't notice and when Hermione bolted from the room at the end of class, no one stopped to bother her.

It was only the first day, and she already had three essays to write, a project to figure out, and a rare book to find. Her weekend would be spent in the library or hiding out in her dorm working on everything and it was only Wednesday! She hurried to the Great Hall for dinner and quickly ate her food while Neville chatted on about his Herbology project and his girlfriend, Hannah. She tried to pay attention, but her mind was clearly elsewhere.

Finally, when she could no longer sit there and listen to the idle chit chat, she excused herself and bounded up to her room. She met no one along the way, so her spirits were slightly uplifted when she collapsed onto her bed. She knew she should probably start at least _one_ of her essays, but instead of grabbing parchment for that purpose, she pulled some out of her bag to write a letter to Harry.

_Harry,_

_Today has not been the best of days. I wish I was still lounging around Privet Drive with you and your family, but no, I'm at school. I know what you must be thinking, 'Hermione Granger, has finally snapped! She doesn't want to be at school!', but I haven't snapped…I'm just overwhelmed._

_You'll never guess who Head Boy is, so I'm just going to tell you. It's Draco Malfoy. And McGonagall wants me to work with him and be nice to him. I just don't know what I'm supposed to do about it. We have two classes together so far, and we're stuck as partners for both! We've already argued and I just don't see this being such a great year after all. _

_I also have my Seventh Year Project to sort out, and I'm one of the few that have not even put in an application for an advisor yet. I'm so behind—I just don't know what to do. No luck yet on that spell either; I'll keep you updated though._

_I've got Astronomy tonight as well, so I better get some work done before then. Write back soon!_

_Miss you,_

_Hermione_

_PS: Tell Petunia thanks for the satchel of sweets she put into my trunk! It was a nice surprise! _

Hermione sealed her letter and decided she might as well head up to the owlery to send it off now. It was still early enough that it might get there before he went to bed. She hoped that Ron didn't intercept it…he'd been known to do that before. Tucking her wand into the pocket of her robe, she left her bag behind as she exited her room. She was at the owlery within a few minutes.

She always had distaste for the smell and atmosphere of the owl tower, but today she found the fluttering of hundreds of wings quite soothing. She made her way through the room in search of a decent owl. Spotting a medium sized brown owl, she smiled and held out a bit of bread she'd snuck from dinner. The owl hooted happily and stuck out its leg for her to attach the letter to. Once she had attached the letter, the owl nibbled the last piece of bread up and took flight out the nearest window. Hermione leaned against the windowsill and watched as it faded into the distance. The sun was beginning to set and for the first time all day, Hermione felt at peace being back at Hogwarts. It was such a lovely view of the grounds from up here, and it was beautiful to see all the new and renovated aspects that had been made to the grounds over the summer.

After a few more minutes of the solitude, Hermione decided it really _would_ be in her best interest to start on her homework, so she turned to leave, only to be stopped in her tracks. Malfoy was leaning against the wall opposite her—he had his arms crossed and she could see a large envelope poking out from under his arm. Hermione took a few tentative steps forward and crossed her own arms across her chest.

"How long have you been standing there watching me, Malfoy?"

"Oh, only a few minutes…since you gave that owl some bread."

"So basically the entire time I've been up here then?"

"Yes, I suppose."

Hermione blinked at him and took another step forward, "What are you sending off?"

"Not that it's any of your business, Granger, but I'm mailing a letter to my mother letting her know that I'm doing fine and telling her about my first day."

"Oh."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, Hermione pulling on a stray curl and Draco tapping his foot against the wall. Finally Malfoy pushed himself away from the wall and came to stand in front of her. He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot until Hermione glanced up at him. She gave him a questioning look and he shrugged.

"I'm not used to saying things like this, Granger, but I wanted to apologize for the crude thing I said to you earlier. I'm not really looking to fight with you all year. It would probably be best if we didn't talk unless absolutely necessary."

Hermione was speechless. Was Malfoy really apologizing to her?

"Um…it's okay, Malfoy. I agree. Let's keep the talking to a minimum."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a letter to send."

He scooted around her and went searching for his owl. Hermione made her way to the door and shut it behind her, but she turned and slid up onto her tip toes to peer in through the window. Malfoy was stoking the feathers of his beautiful owl and mumbling something to it. It already had the letter tied to its leg. She watched until he carried it over to the window before she hurried back down the steps to Gryffindor tower. Working with Malfoy was definitely going to be strange.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She fell asleep.

She. Fell. Asleep.

Why the bloody hell did she let herself fall asleep? If she didn't hurry she'd be late to class for a _third_ time today. She yawned and tried to take the steps two at a time. Why did the Astronomy tower have to be, so, well, high up? Hermione shook herself—she needed to stop asking herself such silly questions. Just as she was reaching the bottom of the tower, she slammed into something causing her to fall down backwards onto her bottom. Her telescope and books went flying.

"I am _so_ sorry!" she gasped as she began gathering up her belongings, "I _really_ need to start watching where I'm going…I was just in such a hurry, you know, don't want to be late to class…" she trailed off reaching for the strap of her telescope.

"Granger, you should probably try to end this little habit you've started of being late to every class you have."

She grimaced at the floor as she stood up. Taking a shuddering breath she met the eyes of none other than Malfoy. He seemed to be everywhere today.

Rolling her eyes as she straightened her robes, she shook her head, "Not that your opinion matters, Malfoy, but I'm _not_ having the best day to begin with, so if you could just keep your snarky comments to yourself and move out of my way; I'd like to get to class!"

He heaved a sigh and tossed her wand at her. She took it with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach and tucked it back into her pocket. How could she have let him get the upper hand on her?

"You ran into me so hard, that your little wand flew right out of your pocket. Seriously, Granger, be more careful. I _should_ dock points for you running around everywhere, but seeing as your Head Girl, I'll let it slide…this time."

Glaring at him she snapped, "I'm sorry that I'm not perfect, Malfoy! Everyone _always_ expects so much from me…and I'm having a _horrible_ day! I just want to get to class, look at some constellations, and then pass out in my bed! So if you will just get out of my way, I don't want to be any later than I already am!"

Throwing him one final, nasty glare, she ran the rest of the way to class. Seriously, what was her deal today? She was usually so well put together. Hopefully a good night's sleep would do her well. As soon as class was over, she was going to use her new bathtub and then sleep the night away. Good thing her first class wasn't until ten tomorrow morning!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Please Review! I don't know if you like it if you don't let me know!


	4. Four

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****:** Here it is! The next chapter! I am really happy with where this story is going. Please let me know what you think, and I want to thanks to my beta, StoneFeather10135, for fixing my errors! I couldn't do it without you!

**Song Recommendation****: **_'Creep' by Radiohead_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

September 4, 1998

Hermione couldn't believe it was already Friday. Where did the week go? Just this past Monday she was waking up at the Dursley's with Harry and enjoying homemade pancakes. And now, here she was back at Hogwarts, hurrying to get down to breakfast before class started. This waking up early thing was going to take some getting used to. Maybe she would use the weekend as practice. She could get to sleep early and wake up early on Saturday and Sunday and spend the days working on her many essays. Then maybe the next week wouldn't be as horrible as this one.

A large yawn escaped her as she entered the Great Hall. With only fifteen minutes left of breakfast, she wasn't surprised to see only a handful of students loitering about. She hurried over to the Gryffindor table and quickly made herself a bowl of oatmeal. She didn't have the time she usually did, so instead of pulling out a book to read, she just gazed around the hall. She spotted Malfoy over at the Slytherin table reading a book. As she added a few blueberries to her oatmeal and tried to see what book he was reading.

The hand holding her spoon stopped halfway to her mouth when she finally realized what book he had propped against the milk jug. She dropped her spoon back into her bowl and bent over to reach through her bag. Sure enough, she was right; he was reading from the advanced Ancient Studies book. This could only mean one thing: Malfoy was going to be in her class this morning. Throwing her book back into her bag she got up from the table. There was no way she was going to be late to class and get stuck being his seat partner again.

So far they had to sit together in Alchemy, Potions, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. There was no way in hell that she was going to get stuck sitting with him again. As she made her way through the corridors she thought about how awful her classes had been so far.

She was second in everything…Draco was ahead of her in all the classes they had together and Ginny was ahead of her in the others. This was certainly not turning out to be her year, but things had to get better, right?

Hermione walked into the classroom and found herself pleased to see that the front table was open. She sat down at it and got out her parchment and book. She would save the other seat for Ginny or Luna. She was sure one of them had told her they were taking this class; she just couldn't remember who. As more and more students filed into the room and took up seats elsewhere she began to get nervous. She was no longer sure her friends were in this class.

Just before the class was about to begin, in walked Malfoy. Hermione glanced about; there was one open seat in the back of the room and the one next to her. Where would he choose to sit? She tried to hide her face in her book while still watching him out of the corner of her eye. She saw him glance in her direction before heading to the back of the room. A sigh of relief escaped her, but then her attention was drawn again to Malfoy.

She turned in her seat to see what was wrong. She had heard a scuffle of the chair and someone hiss, "Get out of here, Malfoy. You can't sit next to me."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe that a student would be so rude to Malfoy. She knew that people felt ill towards him, but this was the first time she had witnessed it firsthand. Ernie Macmillan had pulled the chair Malfoy was trying to sit in away and Malfoy had nearly fallen to the floor. Good thing for his quick seeker skills. Malfoy was now collecting the items that had fallen out of his bag.

Hermione took a deep breath and stood up. She would not allow such prejudice to go on in her presence. Sure, Malfoy was an arse, but no one should be treated that way. She walked back to Ernie and Malfoy, completely aware that the entire classroom was watching her every move. She stopped at the end of the desk and placed her hands on her hips.

"Malfoy."

He picked up the last of his quills and stood to face her, "Yes, Granger?"

"There is an open seat next to me up front. You may sit there if you would like. I'm not saving it for anyone."

Draco stared at her for a moment; he seemed to be taking in her determined posture and the quirk of her eyebrow. He glanced back at Ernie, who looked perturbed with the whole situation, and then looked back at her. The corner of his mouth drew up in his trademark smirk.

"That would be fine."

"Good. Now, if you don't mind, Ernie, we'll just take our seats now."

She let Malfoy walk ahead of her and then followed, but she stopped halfway and turned to look at Ernie, who was now staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

"Oh, and Ernie? Five points from Hufflepuff for pulling a chair out from under another student…and five more points for not showing your Head Boy respect."

With that said, she whipped around and finally sat down in her seat. She could hear the whispering, but chose to ignore it. No one would disrespect the Head Boy; she didn't care if it _was_ Malfoy. She was glad that Professor Spinks chose that moment to walk in and begin class. She and Malfoy didn't talk the rest of class, but the silence between them wasn't as tense as the last few days had been. Hermione decided that even though he was a jerk, he didn't deserve to be pushed around. She would just have to do as McGonagall had asked, and be tolerant of him.

And she also noticed that neither Ginny nor Luna was in this class…she'd be stuck with Malfoy the entire year.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

At the end of class, Spinks assigned an essay, surprise, and then dismissed them. Hermione stood up and began packing her belongs away. She was already trying to decide what she should do with the next two hours before lunch. The time was designated for her to work on her Seventh Year Project, but she had yet to get assigned one. She decided that she would head over to the library and fill out some applications for her project and maybe look for that book again.

She noticed Malfoy lingering, but didn't say anything to him. It wasn't her place to comment on the situation before class. She walked out of the room and headed in the direction of the library. Most of the students were in class, so the library was nearly empty. Hermione smiled and took a seat at her favorite table towards the back. It was out of the direct line of vision of the rest of the library, so, hopefully, no one would bother her.

Now that she had all of her books and application possibilities listed in front of her, Hermione had no idea what to do next. She could apply for a Charms project, where she could possibly use the counter spell to _Obliviate_ as her main goal. She could also apply to Transfiguration and train to become an _animagus_. She could even apply for Potions, although she wasn't really sure what kind of project she could do for that…maybe work on healing?

In the end, she had filled out applications for all of the classes she was currently taking. One of the professors would take her on; she was Hermione Granger after all. She was really hoping for Professor Flitwick to come through for her though. Restoring her parent's memories was one of her top priorities at the moment. Speaking of which, she wanted to take a bit of her time left before lunch and browse through the Restricted section.

Madam Pince didn't bother to check her note for permission as she waved at her and entered the Restricted section. She was used to seeing Hermione browsing through the tomes, looking for the special book that would restore her parent's memories. Hermione sighed deeply as she entered the Restricted section. It was amazing how the library seemed much quieter in this area. It was relaxing and chilling at the same time. There were so many dark magic books in this area; it was no wonder that when Hogwarts was taken over by the Death Eaters last year they combed through this part of the library far more than any of the others. She noticed a lot of empty spots on the shelves, and prayed to Merlin that the book she needed still existed here.

Hermione just wandered through towards the back of the section; her feet barely making a sound on the soft, old wood floor. She trailed her fingers over the old books and squinted to read some of the titles. Nothing sounded promising. A few books didn't even have names on the spine, so she plucked them from the shelf to examine further, only to be disappointed each time. She rounded a bend and stopped in her tracks; she had found a sitting area. There were two small round tables with two chairs to each, but that wasn't the biggest shock. The biggest shock was that Malfoy was seated at one and when she had stopped he'd glanced up from the large book in front of him.

"Hello, Granger."

Hermione fidgeted and then decided to cross her arms over her chest, "Malfoy."

"Can I help you with something?"

"What are you doing back here?"

"Studying."

"What?"

"I'm working on my Seventh Year Project for Potions."

Hermione groaned and walked over to the empty chair at his table. She dropped herself down into it and rubbed her face with her hands.

"I think I'm the only one without a project."

"You? You don't have a project yet?"

"No."

"Is the world ending?"

"Shut up, Malfoy."

"Have you applied for any yet?"

"I just finished filling out my applications. I'm going to turn them in after lunch and before I head down to have tea with Hagrid."

Draco nodded and closed his book. He stood and carried it back over to a shelf and carefully slid it back into place before coming back over to the table. He looked at Hermione for a minute and smirked.

"You're different this year."

"I had an interesting summer."

"I bet."

"I think I'm going to lunch now."

"I'll follow you."

"Great."

Heroine rolled her eyes and stood back up, slinging her bag over her shoulder in the process. She made her way out of the Restricted section and then the library, feeling Malfoy behind her the entire time. Their steps almost seemed in sync as they made their way through the corridors and down a few stair cases. They were almost to the Great Hall when Malfoy called out to her.

"Granger?"

Hermione stopped and turned around to face him. They were in the corridor just before the Great Hall and Hermione could smell lunch wafting through the air. Her stomach growled and she gave Malfoy a steady gaze. She wanted to grab some lunch.

"What?"

"I was just wondering, why did you stick up for me in Ancient Studies?"

"No one deserves to be discriminated against."

"Right."

He looked uncomfortable for a moment and then took a tentative step towards her. Hermione was unsure what he was doing and stepped back so she was smack against the castle wall. She wanted to tell him to stop or get away but her mouth wasn't cooperating with her brain. Malfoy stepped right up in front of her and then his right hand came up to the side of her face. He moved it forward and just before it made contact with her glamoured cheek, she flinched away, making a whimpering sound. Sensing him back away, she glanced up; her hair now covering most of her face.

She was breathing heavily and her heart was racing. She blinked at him and he opened his mouth to say something, but instead of waiting to hear what, she turned and took off running down the hall. She ran as fast as she could, and at the same time, heard him following behind her. When she reached the entry way, a group of students scattered out of the way, allowing her to run towards the front doors.

Reaching them, she threw them open and ran outside into the sun. She took a moment to take a deep breath, but upon hearing Malfoy calling her name, she began running again. She ran all the way down the hill towards Hagrid's hut and didn't stop until she was nearly there. When she stopped, she leaned forward placing her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She glanced back up the hill and saw Malfoy standing at the top of the hill, gazing down at her. She straightened up and turned to face him; meeting his gaze. They stood there for a good moment; Malfoy looking down at her and she looking up at him.

They probably would have stood that way for some time, but Hagrid chose that moment to throw open his door, causing Fang to come bounding out, running towards Hermione. Hermione and Malfoy's connection was broken when Fang bounded on top of her and nearly knocked her off her feet. She scratched him under his ear and then glanced back up towards the castle; Malfoy was gone now. She sighed in relief. She'd deal with him later.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione cannot say that her afternoon with Hagrid was all bad. She had been practically starving, seeing as she'd deserted her breakfast that morning in an attempt to get a seat away from Malfoy. That hadn't gone so well. But moving on from that, she was immensely hungry on her way back from Hagrid's. He'd been really happy to see her and she couldn't help but forget her moment of panic from earlier when she'd been with him.

"_Hermione! It's good ter see ya!" Hagrid had said coming to stand next to her. She tore her gaze away from the castle doors and smiled up into the half giant's face._

"_I'm happy to see you too!"_

"'_Ere let me help ya with Fang." He grabbed Fang by the collar and settled him down with a few pats and a treat from his overcoat. "How are yer classes goin'?"_

_Hermione brushed the dog hair from her school robes and picked her bag up from the ground, "Oh they're all right, Hagrid. Not the same as they used to be."_

"_I suppose you're missin' Harry and Ron a good bit. It will pass. The holidays will be 'ere soon."_

"_Yes. I cannot wait."_

_He chuckled and then motioned for her to follow him inside his hut. When they were inside, he pulled out an oversized chair for her and she gratefully sat down. The truth was she was still trying to catch her breath from running all the way down there. She watched him as he chattered on about Hogwarts and Fang as he made them some tea. Hermione kept silent mostly, still trying to regain her composure from earlier. _

_She couldn't believe how she had reacted towards Malfoy. When his hand had come up to her face, all she had been able to think about was Ron smacking her with all his might and bruising her there. She wondered if Malfoy had seen her glamour. If you looked hard enough, it was possible to tell that one had a glamour charm upon them. She brushed her thoughts aside as Hagrid placed a cup of tea and a rock cake the size of her fist in front of her._

_Normally, she wouldn't eat Hagrid's pastries, but she was starving, so she attempted it. They were a lot better than they used to be, and she asked him aloud if he had been practicing his cooking. He blushed and admitted that he had in fact been working on it over the summer. He explained that now that there was no more war to fight he might as well settle down and learn to do things properly. Those were his words, not hers. _

_After they enjoyed a full pot of tea and a handful of rock cakes each, they decided to take Fang for a walk around the grounds. Hermione had not been ready to head back to the castle yet, so she kept Hagrid walking for quite some time. They wandered the grounds throwing sticks for Fang to retrieve while they discussed all the changes that had been done to the grounds. Hagrid was proud of the changes and repairs because he had been able to help. He was especially proud of his new hut; he had built it with his own hands without help. Hermione mentally reminded herself to magically check it before winter came around._

_Eventually the conversation fell back around to Harry and then to Ron. Hagrid had wanted to know all about their summer, so Hermione had filled him in, leaving out the not so decent parts. He was happy to hear that Harry and Ginny were officially an item and that they were doing well. He gave his apologies for her and Ron not being together any longer. She had to explain that it was alright; that they were both going to be okay. _

"_Maybe, you two will find yer way back to each other."_

"_Oh, I don't think so Hagrid. We both want different things right now."_

_He had nodded solemnly and patted her on the shoulder, nearly causing her to fall from her feet. They were now standing near Dumbledore's tomb. They stood in silence for a few minutes, Hagrid wiping a few tears from his eyes, and Hermione picking at her fingernail and hoping that Dumbledore was in peace, wherever he was. After that, they both felt their walk was over. They headed back to Hagrid's hut so she could grab her bag and head back to the castle. It was nearly dinner time anyway. _

_She said goodbye to Hagrid and Fang…her pockets full of extra rock cakes and her stomach growling for a real supper up at the castle._

Hermione smiled as she remembered her afternoon with Hagrid, but as she entered the castle doors, the smile fell from her face. Now she had to deal with the aftermath of the earlier incident. Maybe if she played her cards right, she wouldn't run into Malfoy for the rest of the night. After quickly running to her dorm, she was finally seated in the Great Hall between Ginny and Neville. She felt the tension ease from her shoulders as her friends included her in their happy conversation.

She thought things had been going well until the end of dessert. Luna wandered over from the Ravenclaw table and sat down across from Ginny. Ginny smiled at her best friend and then went back to telling Neville about her Herbology essay she still had to complete. Hermione finished her chocolate cream pie and glanced up to start a conversation with Luna about something, when the girl beat her to the chase.

"Hermione, I heard that you were seen running from Malfoy earlier today. What was that all about?"

Hermione's mouth fell open at the same time Neville's elbow slipped off the table and Ginny snapped, "What?" loud enough for the people around them to look at them.

Hermione gestured for everyone to go back to what they were doing before turning back to Luna. She rolled her eyes and quickly tried to come up with an excuse, but decided that they already knew about what Ron did, so the truth would be best. She just didn't know what to do about Neville. He still didn't know why she and Ron hadn't 'worked out'.

They were all looking at her expectantly, so she decided, _what the hell_, and just went for it.

"He went to touch my cheek and I kind of freaked out. I was afraid he'd see the glamour charm…but mostly, it gave me flashbacks of when Ron hit me."

Luna touched her hand that was lying on the table, "He didn't hurt you then? People were saying that he did something to you."

Hermione shook her head causing her hair to fly about, "No, he didn't hurt me at all. He just caught me off guard. I still don't know what he was trying to do."

"I can't believe you didn't curse the hell out of him!" Ginny added, throwing her braid of red hair over her shoulder in annoyance.

Neville leaned in closer, "What are you all talking about," he whispered, "People are starting to stare…and I'm totally lost."

Ginny waved her hand in an annoyed manor, "My brother slapped Hermione when she broke up with him, and then Malfoy tried to touch her injured cheek."

"Oh. Her cheek looks alright to me."

"I have a glamour charm placed on it until it heels completely; which I hope is soon."

"My concern is why the hell Malfoy was trying to touch you in the first place."

"Yes that _is_ peculiar…"

Hermione groaned. This was not how she wanted to spend her night, trying to answer questions she didn't have the answers to. Before she could comment back, the food disappeared from the table and the students in the Great Hall began to get up and head back to their dorms or whatever else they had to do on a Friday night.

Luna jumped up, "Well I've got to get back to the common room. I want to find my new shoes that have gone missing…already."

They all said their goodbyes and got up from the table. Ginny complained about Malfoy the entire way up to the common room while Neville nodded his head and agreed with everything she said. Hermione kept quiet and looked around to make sure Malfoy wasn't lurking anywhere hoping to talk to her about what happened. She didn't feel that telling him the truth would be such a great idea.

When they reached the common room, Neville went up to get his Herbology book to help Ginny with her essay so Hermione figured she'd just retire to her room to study. She dropped her bag on the floor by her desk and shrugged out of her school robes. It was now officially the weekend, so she could change into more comfortable clothes. She still had to do her rounds later tonight anyways. She pulled her hair into a pony tail and then pulled on a pair of black sweat pants and a long sleeved gray sweatshirt. Sliding her feet into her old tennis shoes and pinning her Head Girl badge on her shirt, she felt more comfortable.

Friday's were supposed to be the best day of the week, but here she was, just as tense as she'd been when she woke up that morning. She pulled her Ancient Studies book out of her bag and settled back on her bed to begin reading the chapter she needed to write her essay on. She read happily about the ancient Egyptians and their uses of potions for the next few hours until her eyes began to droop. Finally, when she knew that most of her friends and housemates had likely gone to bed, she placed her book and notes on the desk and grabbed her wand to head out for her rounds.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

She made quick progress of the upper levels and didn't stumble upon any students out of bed. She was enjoying the peace and quiet of the night within the castle. Most of the torches had been extinguished, so occasionally she did have to use _lumos_ to guide her way. Some of the portraits said hello to her as she passed and she even bumped into Sir Nicholas at one point. Her spirits were lifting by the time she reached the corridor above the kitchens.

She was just about to turn around and head back up to her dorm to pass out when she noticed some movement to her left. She swiftly turned around and held her wand up at the offending student.

"Come out from behind the tapestry, right now."

A fifth year Slytherin boy slid out from behind the tapestry. He looked extremely unhappy at being caught. His arms were laden with pumpkin pastries, turkey sandwiches, and a jug of pumpkin juice. Hermione shook her head at him and gestured for him to come up in front of her. He walked up with a sour look upon his face.

"What are you doing out of bed after hours?"

"I was getting a snack."

"It looks more like a snack for many people; not just for you."

"Well, there's a small party going on back in the Slytherin common room."

"So are there others wandering about down here as well?"

"No, it's just me. I lost the draw and had to come and get the snacks."

Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose and stored her wand back into her pocket, "Okay, ten points from Slytherin for being out after curfew...and just in case there are more of you wanderers around, I will increase the amount by five for each student I find from your house. Now get back to your common room."

"Alright..."

She stood and watched until the boy was completely out of site before turning and beginning the trek back up to Gryffindor tower. Hermione was just reaching the halfway point when she heard a strange noise. She turned around and made her way towards where she thought it might be coming from. Finally, going around a corner, she stopped in front of the men's loo. The noise was coming from inside.

Hermione thought to herself, _"Great, now I have to break up a snogging couple inside the restroom."_

She placed a silencing charm on her shoes and walked quietly into the bathroom. She stopped and leaned against the end wall; taking a deep breath, she peered around the wall. Her mouth fell open; Malfoy was sitting on the windowsill with his knees up to his chest and his face in his hands. He was sobbing hysterically; it was both mind numbingly disturbing and immensely sad. Hermione found she couldn't look away. She remembered Harry telling her that he'd found Malfoy crying once during sixth year, but she'd never thought she'd get to experience it for herself.

Before he could catch her staring, Hermione backed out of the loo and walked over the stairs. She sat on the bottom step and put her face in her own hands. She should really just go up to bed, but she couldn't imagine anyone who might be wandering the corridors finding him like this. He was already getting tormented as it was. She snorted and threw her head back; all the times he tormented those around him and now he was the one being tormented.

Hermione didn't know how long she sat on that step, but eventually Malfoy stepped out of the bathroom. When he saw her, he froze and quickly wiped at his face; she suspected it was to try and rid it of any leftover tears. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over to her. He stared down at her for a long moment before speaking.

"How long have you been sitting out here, Granger?"

"Since I came back up this way during my rounds."

"And you just decided to have a sit down on the steps?"

"I had a good reason."

"And what would that be?"

"I wanted to make sure no one bothered you."

"I don't need you to protect me."

"I know."

He looked her in the eye and Hermione kept her gaze steady. She didn't want to argue with him. She didn't want to offend him either. She'd done what she felt was best, and she wasn't going to back down from that. Malfoy blinked and removed his hands from his pockets before taking a seat on the step next to her. Hermione let out a breath she had been holding and relaxed a bit. She supposed he wasn't going to carry it on any longer.

After a few minutes of silence, Malfoy spoke again, "Granger, what happened earlier today?"

She sighed; she'd somehow known he was going to ask her about this. She picked at a stray string hanging from her shirt and plucked it free. She let it fall to the ground before tilting her head towards him.

"You caught me off guard."

"Why do you have a glamour charm on your face?"

"Why were you trying to touch my face?"

He laughed softly, "You had a piece of dust from the Restricted section on your cheek. I was going to point it out to you."

Hermione suddenly felt her cheeks flush. She'd been so stupid to jump to the conclusion that Malfoy was going to touch her face. All he'd wanted to do was inform her of a dirty face. She narrowed her eyes; none her friends or even Hagrid had told her…she wondered if her face was dirty right now. Shaking herself from her internal chatter, she figured she needed to respond.

"Oh…I have a glamour on my cheek to hide a bruise."

"What did you do, hit it on a book?"

She let a giggle escape her lips and watched as he smirked at her. She shook her head, "No, it's more complicated than that."

Draco leaned back against the steps and crossed his ankles as if he were lounging on a couch. Hermione couldn't help but notice again how thin he looked, not to mention that he was still rather pale. He caught her eye, "Are you going to explain it to me, or do I have to pry it out of you?"

She shook her head, "I don't know if I feel comfortable telling you, actually."

Instead of responding, Malfoy sat up and withdrew his wand from the inside of his robes. He raised it so it was near her cheek and then he raised his eyebrows in a silent question. Closing her eyes for a minute and taking a deep breath, she nodded. She let the breath out as she opened her eyes, and Malfoy removed the glamour from her cheek. He let out a slow whistle.

"That's not a pretty bruise, Granger."

"I'm aware of that…thus the glamour charm."

"Don't be smart with me; I'm only asking a question."

"Fine."

"How did you get that?"

She leaned forward and covered her face with her hands, "Someone hit me."

"What? You're kidding right?"

"No."

"Who hit you?"

Hermione's face was still in her hands, so when she mumbled, "Ron," she didn't see the incredulous look come onto Malfoy's face. But she did hear his cry of outrage and felt him stand up in front of her. Knowing that she had to face him sometime, she lifted her face slowly from her hands. He was standing there, right in front of her, with his hands on his hips and an angry expression upon his face.

"You are telling me, Granger, that Ronald Freaking Weasley, hit you in the face hard enough to leave a bruise."

She nodded and he threw his hands up into the air, "Are you going to tell me why he hit you?"

She slowly stood up and leaned against the banister, "I was breaking up with him…and he just, he slapped me…there's a little more to it than that, but I'm not going to discuss it any further with you. That's all you need to know; the basics."

"So you did break up with him then? You're no longer together?"

"No. It's over."

"Good."

She crossed her arms across her chest, "Why does that matter to you, Malfoy?"

"I am against abuse…of all kinds."

"Oh, really now?"

"Not that you need to know this, but I grew up in a household where abuse was very common. I recognized the glamour on your cheek as you pulled away, and immediately it made me think of how my father used to hit my mother, causing her to use numerous glamour charms on herself. I apologize if I'm prying, but I just wanted to know."

She blinked at him unsure what to say. She never expected to have such an open conversation with Draco Malfoy. Instead of commenting on the details of his childhood, she decided to ask about the reason she'd been sitting on the step outside the loo in the first place.

"Why were you crying?"

Malfoy's smirk fell from his face and he took a step back, shoving his hands back into his pockets. He shrugged and glanced away.

"Come on, Malfoy, I answered your question."

He sighed heavily and visibly relaxed a bit. He removed his left hand from his pocket and ran it through his hair. Hermione was surprised to notice that he was wearing it a bit longer and without the gel he normally used. He looked much more laid back and, well, handsome. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind immediately.

"If you must know, I got a letter from my mother…it wasn't good news."

"What's wrong?"

"Apparently, she's become very depressed and she's, she just isn't doing very well. She's not eating enough and her sleeping schedule is a mess. Not to mention that she's upset about my father's sentence. She sent me a letter to let me know that she doesn't know if she'll be able to survive all this."

Hermione's hand fluttered to her mouth and she felt herself actually feel, bad, for Narcissa. It was true that the woman let her own sister torture Hermione in her own home, but seeing the despair in Malfoy's eyes; she couldn't help but feel awful. She reached out for Malfoy, but he shook his head and took another step away.

"Don't pity me, Granger. I'll be alright. I survived the war; I can survive this too."

"Alright."

They stood there for a bit longer and then Hermione cleared her throat, "Well, I should be heading back to my dorm…oh and you might want to get down to the Slytherin common room. I caught a fifth year sneaking out of the kitchen with an arm load of snacks. He told me that they were having a party."

"Just great. Well, I better go and join in."

At the look of shock on Hermione's face, Malfoy gave her his trademark smirk and turned to leave. Shaking her head at him, she began to make her way up the stairs. Just as she reached the top, she heard him shout her name. Confused, she turned and looked down at him. He was looking up at her so she said, "What?"

"I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to sit with you in Ancient Studies…oh and for keeping watch down here."

Hermione was surprised to hear a 'thank you' from him and she felt her words get tangled up in her brain. She had no idea what to say…so she just kept it simple.

"You're welcome."

With one final nod, he disappeared into the distance leaving Hermione alone in the quiet darkness of the castle. Instead of thinking about what had happened today any longer, Hermione returned to her dorm and crawled into bed. She unclipped her pin and set it on the nightstand with her wand. She was exhausted.

She knew that the war had changed her beyond what she could have imagined…now she began to wonder how many other people it changed.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N: **Please review! Also follow me on tumblr as SaTiNk06 for sneak peeks at my stories, pictures, and more!


	5. Five

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****:** Hey Readers! Sorry for the delay in this! I never got to finish it before I went on vacation, and then when I returned my free time was limited. In this chapter I will be introducing Draco's point of view because of a scenario that arises we will need to see a different perspective! Enjoy! Thanks as always to those of you who reviewed and also to my beta, StoneFeather10135!

**Song Recommendation****: **_'It's Not My Time' by 3 Doors Down_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 16, 1998

As September became October, Hermione had found herself even more overwhelmed with school. Luckily, she'd been assigned a Seventh Year Project advisor, but unfortunately, it wasn't her first choice. She'd been assigned Slughorn, and now she found herself spending every Friday morning with Malfoy, first in Ancient Studies, and then in the dungeons working on potions. It actually wasn't as bad as she originally thought that it would be. Malfoy only talked to her when he needed to, which made things a lot easier. They often ran into each other during rounds and they even had to work together in the NEWT study groups.

Hermione couldn't complain though; he was leaving her alone. It was nice really; no name calling or teasing was thrown her way at all. Ever since she'd discussed Ron's abusive moment towards her and his mother's mental state, they'd made some sort of silent truce. It made working with him bearable, even if other students were constantly tossing paper or insults at him behind his back. Hermione couldn't even count all the points she'd had to take from the houses for misdeeds against the Head Boy. It was rather annoying; even Slytherins were against him. She found it strange to see Malfoy alone so often; in the library, the Great Hall, walking to class, and even just wandering the grounds on the weekend.

Hermione was pondering all this as she ate lunch on Friday afternoon. She'd had a pretty productive morning working with Malfoy. In Ancient Studies they had answered the most questions earning them ten house points apiece, and then while working during their Potions project they'd managed to brew a healing potion perfectly. Slughorn had been extremely impressed and not given them any extra work to do for the week, along with a vial of the potion for each of them. So Hermione had to hand it to Malfoy, they did make good partners for classes.

"Hermione? Hermione I've been talking to you for five minutes. Have you heard anything I've said?"

Hermione blinked and returned to the present. She looked across the table at Ginny who was pointing her fork at her. She gave her friend a smile.

"Sorry, Ginny…I was just thinking about this morning's classes."

"It's fine. Anyway, what I was saying was that, I hope you're coming to the first Quidditch match tomorrow. We're playing Ravenclaw, and I hope we're going to beat them. I heard their new seeker is fast…but we've got a great team this year too."

Hermione took a drink of her pumpkin juice and frowned at her glass. Normally she loved the stuff, but lately she hadn't been enjoying it much. Tapping the glass she emptied it then added water instead. Ginny was looking at her oddly, so she just set the glass down and picked up her sandwich.

"Yes, as long as I get most of my homework done tonight; I'll be there."

"Come on Hermione. It's the first game of the year! You have to come!"

"Oh, alright. I'll come, but I can't promise I'll stay the entire time…you know how I feel about Quidditch."

"Well maybe if it's a good game, you can stay the entire time."

"I won't have anyone to sit with…Neville will be with Hannah the whole time if he feels better, and Luna will be sitting with the Ravenclaws."

"Neville got out of the hospital wing this morning. Madam Pomfrey finally got that batch of flu potion done so everyone is starting to feel better. But really, stop being so difficult, Hermione. Seriously, what has been up with you lately? You've been acting so strange."

"Just busy I guess. I've got a lot of work from all my advanced classes and Malfoy always wants to look up potions to work on for our project. Actually, I might have a touch of that flu that's going around. I've been feeling off lately."

Ginny leaned forward, "Well maybe you should stop by and take a dose of that potion yourself. And speaking of Malfoy, did you know that he's not playing Quidditch this year?"

Hermione took a bite of her sandwich, chewed it, and then swallowed before answering.

"Yes. He told me he might not be playing."

"I think it's bizarre. He always plays…I mean come on, he did buy his way on the team in the first place!"

Shrugging Hermione finished her sandwich, "I don't know Ginny. It's not all that weird; look how everyone's been treating him. They probably wouldn't even want him on the team to begin with."

"You know, people are starting to talk about how often you take points for people insulting him."

"So what? He's Head Boy; you'd do the same if it were happening to me, and besides, they're not just insulting him, they're throwing objects _and_ hexes at him too."

"It just looks bad Hermione. People are talking about you two."

"Oh that's ridiculous. We have numerous classes, potions project, and we're Heads together. Obviously we're going to have to spend time together. We don't even talk all that much. It's been a few weeks since we've had a conversation that didn't include potion ingredients or rune deciphering."

"Yes, I understand that, but don't you think it's strange how pleasant he's being to you this year? After everything that happened between the two of you; _now_ he's being polite to you?"

"Pleasant? You think he's being _pleasant_ to me?" Hermione swallowed a gulp of milk, _was_ he being nice to her? It was true that he didn't really bother her as much as he used to, and he never called her names, but she didn't really think he was being 'nice' to her. "Ginny, we're just tolerant of one another now, that's all. It's much easier for us to accept that we're here at Hogwarts working together, than constantly bickering like we used to."

Ginny pushed her empty plate away from her and glared at her friend, "I'm just trying to look out for you. We all know how many times he's tried to ruin you and your reputation, not to mention how cruel he used to be towards your blood status. Just because the war is over doesn't mean people change that dramatically. I personally think McGonagall is an idiot for asking him back as Head Boy. Why not choose one of the Ravenclaw boys or even Hufflepuff?"

Hermione shook her head at her friend and got up from the table, "Ginny, he actually was the best choice for it. He has the top grades out of the Prefects. I always knew there was chance he would be Head Boy, and just because Ron was given the job first, doesn't mean anything. I'm sure McGonagall had her reasons." She grabbed her bag from the bench and turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at the red head, "I'm heading to the library to get some work done, so hopefully I can go to the game tomorrow. See you later."

She turned and left the hall before Ginny could respond. Personally, Hermione had no idea why she was being so defensive about the situation. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her working with Malfoy in her classes or them doing their rounds together. If it had been before the war had ended, she would have agreed. Back then Malfoy was openly against anyone who wasn't a pureblood, but now that Voldemort was gone, he'd obviously renounced his views. Well, either that, or he was just hiding them very well.

She ignored everyone as she walked to the library, lost in her thoughts once again. She could hear the rain sloshing against the windows and hoped it would clear up by tomorrow. She didn't want to go to the game to begin with, but if she had to sit in the rain that would make it much worse. She shivered just thinking about it and pulled her school robes around her tighter. Maybe she did need some of that flu potion. She _had_ noticed how different she'd been acting lately.

It was really strange, but she'd found herself having a hard time concentrating. She was used to being observant and clearheaded all the time, so this was a bother to her. She'd been doing a lot better in her classes; she was now ahead of Ginny and her grades were the same with Malfoy. She thought that being second to her peers no longer would help her be a bit happier and focused, but she was _still_ distracted. She used to be able to get her assignments done long before everyone else, but now she found that she was putting things off and waiting until the night before. This was not doing well for her sleeping schedule.

And her sleeping schedule; it was crazy. She found herself napping whenever she got the chance and then she'd be up late working on homework. She averaged four or five good hours of sleep a night and the rest she found herself tossing or turning…or even crawling out of bed to work on last minute assignments. Harry's letters were starting to sound worried about her, but then again her letters to him could be bringing that out; she complained a lot about school and life in general. She needed to find something to cheer her up. As she took a seat in the library by a large window, she watched the rain slide down the glass and remembered his last letter to her.

_October 7, 1998_

_Hermione,_

_You shouldn't worry too much about being stuck with Malfoy in your classes. From what you have told me, he is a lot more reasonable to deal with. I've tried to look into his father's case while at the Ministry for Auror training, but have yet to find anything. It appears that he did a lot more for Voldemort than he let on to Draco. I think that's why he was not set free. Too many bad deeds done I suppose. _

_As for Narcissa, I am glad she's not in Azkaban, but I do not understand how she could be ill. I will try to see what I can do about that as well. After all, she did save my life during the war. Just continue to work along with Malfoy and try not to fight. _

_Ron is being an insufferable git. He will not shut up about Malfoy being made Head Boy. He keeps trying to send you letters, but so far Dudley and I have been able to stop them from being sent out. I'm afraid of what he might be trying to say to you…he insists that the two of you will work out. Obviously I'm keeping him calm and I've even talked to Molly. She says that soon she and Arthur can help Ron get his own place to live. _

_I think I'm going to stay here at the Dursley's for a while longer…maybe even until next summer, but at least until I finish my training. Vernon is still sort of distant, but Dudley and Petunia seem to have taken with me. It's nice to have my family actually acting like my family now. _

_I hope that I can come to Hogwarts soon for a visit. I miss you and Ginny dearly. She's going to let me know when the first Hogsmeade visit is going to be. Hopefully I will be free from Auror training that day._

_But anyways, try to perk up Hermione. Things will get better._

_Love,_

_Harry_

As Hermione had sat pondering on Harry's letter, the library had filled up with many students. They were all whispering loudly about tomorrow's Quidditch match, so Hermione gathered her belongings and headed into the Restricted section for some privacy. She was glad that Slughorn had written her and Malfoy passes so that they could look up potions to brew at their leisure. It sure came in handy when she wanted to study alone, especially since the pass Flitwick had given her expired the week before. She still found herself taking the time to look for the book, but she'd long since come to the conclusion that the one she needed was no longer here. She would just have to find some other way to restore her parent's memories.

Going around the bend, she was glad to notice that the table Malfoy usually occupied was empty. This meant she could have her table and work in peace. She settled down and took out her parchment and quill. She should start a letter to Harry because she'd not yet written him back, but suddenly she became overwhelmed with a bought of nausea. Closing her eyes, she placed her head upon the table and tried to take slow deep breaths. Ginny was right she needed to stop by the hospital wing for some flu potion.

The silence of the Restricted section was so soothing and with her even breathing she soon felt the nausea pass. Unfortunately, now she felt rather sleepy. She kept her eyes closed promising herself she wouldn't fall asleep, but within minutes her breathing became slow and steady; she had fallen asleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Draco took a bite of his after dinner apple as he walked through the corridors. It was still raining and that meant he couldn't venture outside to his favorite tree to read. Sure he could cast a water repellant charm, but it wouldn't be the same. He liked the fresh air and sounds of nature while he studied. He frowned, thinking about how long the winter would be, and it was only October. He tossed the apple core into the rubbish bin as he entered the library. Scowling at the large amount of students wandering about he turned and headed for the Restricted section instead.

He had an essay he wanted to finish and didn't feel like dealing with the dirty looks and whispering his fellow peers enjoyed throwing his way. He had never really been liked at Hogwarts; he had made sure of that from the beginning. All he ever had was his small group of Slytherin followers, but none of them had bothered to return to school. They had been smart. They had warned him that it would be this way; that he would be an outcast. No one but the professors spoke to him; well except Granger. Things were much different now.

He ignored someone hissing 'traitor' at him as he slipped into the Restricted section's book stacks. Traitor, murderer, Death Eater, and spineless jerk were some of the favorite insults students liked to call him. He clutched his Charms book closer to his chest and shook his head at the idiocy of it all. He had never murdered anyone, but he _had_ been forced to torture people. It was not his choice to do so…he had been forced into all of it. It was too late now, what was done was done, and he just had to deal with the aftermath. If he could just make it through the school year, he would have his Wizarding diploma and be able to look for a job. Hopefully, someone would hire him.

Draco was still pondering his future when he turned the corner to the sitting area. He smirked upon seeing Granger fast asleep with her face smashed on the table. He stepped closer quietly so as not to wake her just yet. He wanted to see what she had been doing. Peering down at her he used the tip of his quill to push aside her mass of curly hair. Under her cheek was a piece of parchment, and as far as he could tell all that was written on it was today's date and 'Harry'. Her quill was still clutched tightly in her hand. He wondered what she was writing to Potter about, but in the end he decided he didn't really care. Long past gone were the days where he wanted to make Potter suffer. The wizard had saved him and the rest of their world, from a fate most imaginable.

Deciding he'd better wake the witch up he turned and held his book in the air. With a smirk he allowed the book to fall from his grip and slam upon his usual table. The bang resounded around the area and Hermione snapped her head up with a startled gasp. She whipped her head around to find the direction of the noise. She glared at him and straightened her hair; Draco merely stared back at her.

"Have a nice nap?"

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." She looked around as if trying to get her bearings. Draco moved to his chair and sat down, pulling his book towards him.

"I figured I should wake you up. Wouldn't want Peeves stumbling upon you later."

Hermione frowned at him, "What time is it?"

"It's after dinner."

"I missed dinner?"

"It would seem that way, Granger." He turned his attention away from her, hoping she would either get back to her letter or leave him be. Or both.

"Well…I guess it was nice of you to wake me."

He grunted in response and opened the book to the page he was working on. His essay was folded inside. He could feel her watching him steadily as he unfolded the parchment and picked up his quill. Couldn't she just let him be? He really wanted to finish this essay so he could enjoy the weekend. When he couldn't stand it any longer he threw down the quill and turned to glare at her.

"What Granger?"

"I, well, I just wanted to ask how your mother was doing."

He narrowed his eyes at her and watched as she slid her unfinished letter into her bag, "Why?"

She shrugged and tucked her quill away as well, "I don't know. Just curious I suppose. You've been kind of quiet lately."

"We never really talked before, Granger. How is this any different?"

"Oh, I know, but—''

"But, nothing, Granger. We've never been on speaking terms before. I had a bad night and we both told each other things we shouldn't have. Now if you don't mind I have an essay to finish, so if you could just leave me be." He turned away from her and picked his quill back up. He favored her silence. Her voice was always a constant nagging over the years and with everything the way it was, he just wanted to be alone. He preferred this newfound loneliness, even though it made him think of his sick mother and all the bad things that happened to him. Granger knowing about his personal life and talking to him about her personal problems were just some things he could not deal with. Ever.

Draco could hear her sharp intake of breath and sensed as she stood and gathered her belongings. He hadn't meant to be so pointed with her, but he didn't want her thinking they were anything more than Heads and class partners together. He didn't want her thinking he was her _friend_. He couldn't stand that. Draco listened to her shuffle away and breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could be alone with his thoughts once more; even though they were never very helpful. As soon as he finished this essay he was going to do his rounds and go to bed. Hopefully, without running into Granger again.

Putting his face in his hands, Draco mumbled, "Insufferable know-it-all."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As Hermione laid in bed that night she couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make Malfoy so cross with her earlier. It's not like she did anything wrong. All she had done was ask a simple question. She turned on her side to look out the window; it was still pouring down rain. She frowned and snuggled deeper under her blankets. She really wasn't looking forward to the game in the morning at this point. Sure after Malfoy had awakened her she'd come back to her room and gotten a good amount of work done; but she still felt off. She'd never made it to the Hospital Wing for that potion…maybe in the morning if she still felt sick.

Sighing she reached an arm out of the blanket and clicked off her bedside lamp before plopping onto her back. She'd also never gotten her letter to Harry finished either. After leaving the library, she had gone to the kitchens for a sandwich and then returned to her dorm to work. No one had bothered her the entire night; it was rather refreshing. She suspected that Ginny was keeping the students with complaints away from her so that she'd be able to attend the game in the morning. Hermione smiled at the thought; her best girl friend was quite cunning…she almost always got what she wanted.

With one more glance at the rain washed window, Hermione closed her eyes and began the process of trying to sleep. If she was lucky she'd get a good bit tonight, but seeing as she spent the better part of the afternoon napping in the library, she knew it would most likely be a restless night again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 17, 1998

When Hermione opened her eyes again, she was surprised to see that the sun was up and the rain had stopped sometime during the night. It was the first time in weeks she'd slept soundly through the night. As she sat up in bed she stretched with a smile; her stomach grumbled in the process. Obviously missing dinner last night and only having a sandwich in exchange had not satisfied it. She threw back the covers and got out of bed. Shuffling into the bathroom she faced the sink and mirror. Her eyes still looked a bit tired, but her face had more color to it today. She smiled happily and brushed her teeth and washed her face. When she was finished she went back to her bedroom to get dressed for the day.

Hermione opened the bedroom window a little to try and gage how it felt outside. The sun was nice and warm, but there was a cool autumn breeze blowing. From her closet she selected her favorite pair of jeans, a red t-shirt, and her worn gray jumper. She quickly changed and then applied a small amount of makeup and brushed out her hair. It was a bit of a mess still, so she charmed it into a braid. She didn't want it flying about during the game. Satisfied with her appearance she slipped her feet into her sneakers, pinned her badge on her jumper, and tucked her wand into her pocket before exiting her room.

The room across from hers was empty which meant Ginny and the other seventh year girls had already headed down for breakfast. Hermione quickly made her way there as well. On her way she ran into Neville on the staircase.

"Good morning, Neville. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, hello, Hermione. I'm feeling much better thank you. Unfortunately, Hannah has caught the flu now. I'm on my way to meet her at the Hospital Wing. She was going to get some potion. We don't want to miss the first Quidditch game after all!" He gave her a beaming smile which she returned.

"Yes, that sure is going around. I was feeling a bit off yesterday myself, but it seems to have passed." They reached the entrance way and Neville turned towards her.

"Well, I will see you later!"

"Bye Neville." Hermione waved goodbye and then entered the Great Hall. Ginny was already seated at the Gryffindor table, and by the looks of it she was not in the greatest of moods. Hermione took her seat across from the redhead and greeted her cheerily.

"Hey Ginny. Excited for the game?"

In response Ginny grumbled something and went back to nibbling on her dry toast. Hermione frowned, but didn't respond. The girl was either nervous or coming down with the flu. She hoped it was nerves. In the meantime, Hermione began to make herself a breakfast sandwich out of a bagel, eggs, bacon, and a piece of cheese. She added a few diced potatoes to her plate and dug in. After a few minutes she looked up to find Ginny watching her with her mouth hanging open.

Hermione struggled to swallow the bite of food in her mouth before asking, "What?"

Ginny just shook her head at her friend, "Hungry this morning, Hermione?"

Hermione felt her face heat up, "Actually, I am a bit hungry. I missed dinner last night."

"Yes, but that is much more than you normally eat."

Hermione took another bite, a much smaller one this time, and waved her friend off, "Yes, well, I don't know when lunch will be. What if the game lasts until tonight? I don't want to miss another meal; not with that flu going around. I already had a bit of nausea yesterday. I've got to keep up my strength. There's no way I can get behind in classes!"

Ginny laughed, "You and your studies, Hermione. You should relax and have fun. There's no way you won't pass your NEWTs. Just look at everything you did with Harry and Ron last year looking for the Horcuxes. I think you're fine."

Hermione finished her sandwich and started on her potatoes, "I know, but I still worry. I want to do great things, Ginny. I can't slack off just because I'm considered a 'War Hero'."

Ginny just shrugged as she sipped a glass of pumpkin juice. After a few more minutes the Hall began to clear out indicating it was nearly time for the game to begin. Hermione and Ginny wiped their mouths and got up from the table. The two linked arms as they made their way from the Great Hall. Ginny already seemed to be in better spirits; the thrill of the game was upon her. She rambled on about all the new plays they were going to try and how she hoped Harry would be able to attend at least one of the games this year, but she knew how busy he was with his training.

They were nearly to the Quidditch pitch when Ginny squeezed Hermione arm and gave her a sheepish grin, "Hermione, I just want to apologize for being a bit cross with you yesterday and this morning."

Hermione nudged the redhead with her elbow, "It's alright, Ginny. Is everything okay?"

Ginny grimaced, "Well, as it turns out, I had a good reason for being so grouchy. I woke up this morning to a certain visitor…"

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows trying to figure out what she meant, but Ginny helped her, "I got my period. Just what I want for the first game of the year; cramps and being bloated while sitting on a broom for hours!"

Hermione started to laugh, but stopped in her tracks causing Ginny to stumble seeing as their arms were still linked. Ginny let go and tilted her head at Hermione, "What's wrong?"

All of the blood seemed to have rushed from Hermione's face and she grabbed her right earlobe with her hand trying to remember something. She swallowed thickly, and quickly began to feel nauseous. She made eye contact with her best girl friend and shook her head.

"Ginny, I think I forgot to do something…Head Girl related. I have to run back to the castle." Her breakfast was quickly churning in her stomach. Ginny gave her a sad look but nodded.

"Do try to make it back for the game, will you? I really want you here."

"Yes…yes, of course. I'll be back; just have to get that thing done."

"Alright, see you later."

"Good luck." Hermione managed to say before turning and running as fast as she could back up the hill to the castle doors. She managed not to run into anyone until she had passed through the open doors. A young first year asked if she was alright as she placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath. She waved him on and once she was again alone she darted up the stairs to Gryffindor tower. She really did need to check something. Bursting through the portrait hole, she was glad to find the common room empty; but of course everyone would be at the game.

Taking slow and deep breaths to calm her nerves and ease her racing heart she climbed the stairs to her dorm. Once she was inside she slammed the door and locked it with a few spells; she needed privacy. Hermione leaned against the door for a moment and finished catching her breath. Once she knew she was calm enough, she walked over to her desk and picked up her day planner. Flipping backwards she landed on May; and then she began to count.

When she reached the end of July she frowned, and then flipped back to May once more. Her hands were shaking and she found herself falling to her knees on the floor. She didn't really land softly, and there would most likely be bruises tomorrow. Hermione shook her head back and forth as tears began to flood her eyes. This just could not be happening. She'd gotten her period in May, June, and July…but she hadn't had it since. She _always_ got it on time and it was always at the end of the month. If she thought correctly, she _should_ have gotten it the week before she returned to Hogwarts.

Panic began to take over as she realized that the last time she and Ron had been together, the night he had slapped her, they had not used protection. The day planner fell from her fingers. In a flash she was on her feet and lunging for the bathroom. She made it just in time to push up the seat of the toilet and empty the contents of her breakfast into it. She sobbed the entire time she was sick and when she was done, she flushed the toilet and leaned back against the wall with her face in her hands. She didn't know how long she sat there crying, but eventually the tears dried and she was left with the hiccups. Using the toilet to help herself up, Hermione washed her face in the sink and brushed her teeth, making sure not to look in the mirror.

With a deep breath she lifted her eyes and met the brown ones looking back in the mirror. They looked sad, and ultimately, terrified. Hermione gripped the edge of the sink in a panic, what the bloody hell was she going to do? She tried to take even breaths, but it wasn't working. She hadn't been this scared since the final battle. Pushing herself away from the sink, she stalked back into her room and grabbed her wand from the floor. She tucked it away in her pocket and decided she'd do exactly what she always did; go to the library.

Hermione hurriedly made her way to the library knowing full well that there would be no one there. She was certain there was a book in the Restricted section that would help her determine if she was in fact…she couldn't even _think_ the word just yet. She needed that book. Madame Pince waved at her as she disappeared into the stacks of books. She eased a breath out and felt herself calm down as the smell of old books overwhelmed her senses. With a determination taking over her, she began to scour the shelves for the book she needed. Just a few stacks in, she let out a small cry of triumph; she'd found it. She plucked _Magical Medical Spells and Potions_ from the shelf, pulled it to her chest, and scurried to her table around the bend. Malfoy was absent, most likely at the game, so she threw the book down and began flipping through the pages frantically. The spell she needed had to be in here.

Finally, she found it; the _Cum Puer (with child)_ spell. She read over the directions quickly so she could perform the spell on herself. Sure, she could just go down to the Hospital Wing and have Madame Pomphrey give her the test, but to be honest, she was embarrassed. She was Hermione Granger after all, and what brightest with of her age would go and get themselves knocked up at the age of 19 when she still had her magical education to complete? Yes, Hermione felt ashamed of herself beyond anything she'd ever experienced. She felt even worse than the time Malfoy had hit her with the spell to give her beaver teeth!

In order to complete the spell, she had to wave her wand in a figure eight motion as she spoke the incantation. Then a beam of white light would appear, wrap itself around her waist, and then turn a certain color to indicate if she was with child or not. Hermione scanned the page; silver meant negative and gold meant positive. She swallowed and lifted her wand in front of her, taking step back from the table. She had just started the figure eight motion and was about to speak the incantation when she was interrupted.

"What the bloody hell are you doing Granger?"

Gasping, she jumped and quickly slammed the book shut. She grabbed it and held it to her chest protectively. She turned around and faced Malfoy. He was standing in the opening to the sitting area his arms full of potions books and his hair falling across his forehead. He was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a baggy green t-shirt. His wand was tucked behind his ear and he was scowling at her trying to read the title of the book.

"Nothing, Malfoy. I just needed to look something up, but I found it. I'll be on my way now." She tried to brush past him, but only managed in causing them both to drop their books. She mumbled an apology and bent over to help him pick them up. Her hands were shaking and they accidentally grabbed the same book…which happened to be the one she'd been holding. He read the title and gave her a strange look as they righted themselves. She snatched it from him and tucked it under her arm.

"Sorry, Malfoy."

"Have you been crying?"

"It's none of your business."

"So you have been? What happened?"

She scowled at him even harder, "It's not of your concern."

He crossed his arms and blocked her only exit, "Actually, I'm making it my concern. As Head Girl you need to take better care of yourself. Obviously you're not feeling well. You need to go and see Pomphrey."

She nodded, "Fine, fine I'll go see her. Now let me through, Malfoy."

He stepped away and she darted around him. She glanced back and felt her breath catch at the concerned look on his face. Since when did Malfoy give a bloody piss if she had the flu or not? She supposed it was since she had started sticking up for him and making sure no one hexed the living hell out of him. Hermione slid the book back onto the shelf where she'd found it and hurried from the library. Madame Pince was nowhere to be seen so she exited the library and made her way back to her dorm without having to speak to anyone.

Again, Hermione found herself alone, leaning against her bedroom door. She could hear cheering from her open window and glanced towards it. The game was still going on. She felt like she was in a different world from everyone. Just an hour ago she had been a part of that crowd; joking and ready to cheer on her house's Quidditch team. Now here she was about to perform a spell that would determine the outcome of her future. She held her wand tightly in her hand and walked in front of her mirror. She wanted to look herself in the eye while she did this.

Setting her eyes with determination, she held her wand at her waist and once again began the figure eight motion. Trying to wet her dry mouth, she spoke the spell, "_Cum Puer_," and waited. A half minute later a glittering white beam of light slid out of her wand and wrapped itself into a figure eight. Then she watched as it undid itself and wrapped around her waist. It lingered there for a moment, circling, before returning to the original figure eight. Hermione held her breath as it began to change color. She stared at the now gold figure eight until it faded away. Once the beam of light was gone, she covered her mouth with her hand as the sobs began again. She dropped her wand and fell to the floor, her face in her hands and cried hysterically. No one was there to hear her. There was nothing anyone could do.

Another cheer rang up from the outside and Hermione knew she needed to get moving. Standing she snatched a piece of parchment and a quill from her bag and went to her desk. She needed to write to Harry. She needed to tell someone who would not judge her; it was important that no one found out about this just yet. She sank unsteadily onto her chair and began to write.

_Harry,_

_I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to reply to you. I have been trying my best to keep busy and catch up in classes. I also have not been feeling that great. The flu has been going around and I thought that I just might have a bit of that. As it turns out, there is something much more dire going on with me. Do not worry though; I am healthy…just not in the way I would hope._

_Please if you are not sitting down right now, find someplace to sit. Also, you must not let Ronald see this letter…in fact once you are done reading it; destroy it completely. It is not something I wish to share with him…not right now at least. This is going to come as a shock, as it did for me, but do not worry about me._

_Harry, I found out this morning…that, I am…pregnant._

_My heart is still beating frantically and my stomach is a mess. I cannot seem to stem the tears that flow down my cheeks as I write this to you. I still can't even believe this is happening to me. Me—Hermione Granger—pregnant! Whatever am I going to do? So far no one knows, except now you, as I have literally just found out. What do you think I should do? If my calculations are correct I am just about two months along. Please, please do not tell Ron, or Ginny…or anyone. I will tell them once I figure out what to do, but please I need your guidance, your opinion, your advice. Anything. _

_I wish you were here more than ever before. Please write back to me as quickly as possible. I do not know what to do, Harry! _

_With love,_

_Hermione_

After folding up the letter, Hermione roughly brushed the tears from her cheeks. She should probably apply a little more makeup so no one would ask her if she was alright, but at this point, she wasn't alright. She'd just have to fake it. More cheering sounded from outside, so she quickly stuffed the letter into an envelope and left the dormitory. She needed to mail the letter and then get back to the game before it was over. She didn't want to disappoint Ginny, not now, when she knew she was going to need her friends the most. She made it to the owlery quickly and left the door cracked behind her for a quick escape. Now she just needed to find an owl that looked trustworthy enough to deliver her letter to Harry, and not let any other soul open it; especially Ron.

She trekked through the feathers and owl droppings trying to stare into the eyes of all the owls. She was getting frustrated when she heard the door being slid open. Whirling around she scowled; Malfoy was standing in the doorway with a piece of bread in his hand. He gave her a curious look and shut the door behind himself before walking more fully into the room. Hermione instinctively hid her letter behind her back and clutched her wand tightly in her hand. Why was it that he always appeared when she just wanted to be alone? Was he following her?

"Granger."

"Malfoy."

"I see we meet again."

"Not by choice, Malfoy. Are you following me?"

Malfoy walked closer and Hermione found herself stepping backwards into the dirty stone wall to avoid him. When he was just two feet away he tilted his head and gave her a wicked look, "What do you have there, Granger?"

"I believe I asked a question first."

"I am not following you. We just _happen_ to keep running into each other. I'm simply here to feed my owl a snack." He held up the piece of bread.

Hermione swallowed and glanced about for a way around him. Seeing none she began to feel scared for herself. She knew everyone was down at the game and that they were most likely the only inhabitants in this part of the castle. If something happened to her…sweet Merlin, something would happen to the child inside of her. She began to feel faint…and nauseous. She tossed her head from side to side in an attempt to stop the feelings flooding her, but it was all too much and she found herself sobbing. She fell forward, feeling even fainter, and dreading landing on the disgusting floor. Just before blacking out, she saw a piece of bread flutter to the floor.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Draco didn't understand what was happening. One minute he was simply goading Granger for some fun and the next she was bawling her eyes out and falling forward. He quickly dropped his owl's snack in exchange for catching Granger before she fell to the floor. Holding her in his arms, he didn't quite know what to do. Should he take her to the Hospital Wing or simply leave her here on her own. The second option didn't seem to good considering the owls would probably peck the bloody hell out of her, so he struggled to pull her over to a bench. He sat down and placed her next to him with her head on his left leg. This was something he never had experience with; coming to the aid of a muggleborn. Oh if his friends were here to see him now.

After a few minutes of sitting quietly staring out the window he felt Granger stir and looked down into her face. She was coming into consciousness slowly, and tears were starting to seep out of her eyes again; making him feel uncomfortable. When her eyes opened fully and she realized where she was laying, she flew up from his lap with a gasp.

"What the bloody hell, Malfoy?"

He stayed seated but turned to face her, "You fainted."

"Only because you upset me!" She screeched at him while looking around on the floor for her fallen letter. He watched her until she located it and then stood to pick up his fallen bread.

"I was only having some fun. You're much too emotional for your own good."

She turned and pointed her wand into his face, "Do not call me emotional. You have no idea what I have going on right now. I just need to find a decent owl and get the hell away from you. I want to catch at least part of the game!"

"Lower your wand. I am in no way going to harm you. Do you seriously think I want to end up back in Azkaban?"

Narrowing her eyes, she lowered the wand before turning away from him. He watched her for a moment as she frantically looked for an owl. He could tell she was starting to get upset again so he sighed and called out to her, "Granger, what kind of owl are you even looking for?"

"Not that it's any of your business," she spat out, "but I need an owl I can trust to deliver this to the person it's meant for. It cannot be read by anyone else." She held up said letter and glared at him.

Glaring back he whistled and his owl flew down from the rafters to settle on his shoulder, "This is Zora, my owl." He fed the beautiful owl a piece of the bread as Granger looked on. She lowered her letter and took a tentative step forward.

"She's lovely, but what does this have to do with anything."

"You may use her if you need to."

"W-what?" She was shaking her head at him not quite understanding what he was trying to tell her, so he sighed and fed another bite of the bread to his owl.

"Zora has been trained to be completely faithful to me and only me. She will do exactly as I say, and if I want a letter to be read by only one person, all I have to do is ask. If someone besides the intended reader gets near her, she will peck their hands until they bleed. She has a rather sharp beak as you can see."

"And you are going to let me use her to deliver my letter?"

He shrugged causing Zora to flutter her wings and hoot. This caused Granger to smile, and Draco almost joined her but caught himself at the last second. "Yes, it's either that or you will stalk around here for hours before having another one of those panic attacks you just had."

The two stared at each other before she finally sighed and walked completely forward. She snatched the last bit of bread from Draco's hand and held it up to the owl. Zora clicked her beak and then gently took the bread from her hand. Draco smirked at his beautiful owl and raised his eyebrows at Granger and she rolled her eyes, "She seems to like me. I guess it would be alright if I could use her."

"It's not a problem." He turned to Zora spoke directly into her eyes, "Zora, you will deliver a letter for Granger and you will not let anyone else read it." He lifted his eyes to Granger, 'Tie your letter to her leg and then tell her who it is for."

She nodded and did as he instructed. Stepping back, she smiled at the owl, "Zora please deliver this letter to Harry Potter." Draco rolled his eyes at her, but she seemed to ignore it. As soon as she had finished speaking, Zora took flight and went through the open window. They both walked over and watched her fly into the horizon.

Once she was gone from their sight, Granger turned and gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Malfoy. I owe you one."

He shook his head. He didn't want her owing him anything, "It's alright, Granger. If you ever need to use her again, just ask. Merlin knows I only have limited amount of people to write to, but you seem to be up here all the time."

"I only write to Harry."

"Yes, well…as long as you don't use Zora to write to Weasel, I do not mind you using her now and then. She's much more reliable than the owls Hogwarts supplies." He gestured around them as he finished speaking. Granger nodded at him and then started to walk away.

"I think I'm going to try and catch the last of the game. Thank you, again."

He nodded at her as she disappeared from the room. Once the door had been shut he turned back towards the window and looked over the trees to where Zora had disappeared. Something was going on with Granger, and somehow Potter was involved as well. As much as he wanted to stay out of their business, he now knew that he was involved, and immensely curious about it. With one last glance out the window, and a sigh, he turned and headed out of the room. He'd probably go back to his dorm and study some more or take a nap; anything to keep out of the way of everyone, and thoughts of Granger and Potter at bay.

He wasn't in the mood to be bothered. There were too many things on his mind.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione made it to the grounds outside the pitch just as the Quidditch math was letting out. She grumbled and grabbed the first year she'd seen earlier, "What was the score?"

"370 to 190, Gryffindor."

She let go of the kids arm with a smile, "Thank you, now run along." The boy nodded and ran off to catch up to his friends. Hermione was beyond mad she'd missed the entire game, but she was glad they'd won. Besides, she'd had other things to deal with. She walked through the crowd to the Gryffindor changing room, waving to Neville, Hannah, and Luna along the way. Ten minutes later, Ginny emerged from the locker room with flushed cheeks, her hair pulled into a ponytail on top of her head, a fresh pair of jeans, and a red jumper. The girl gave her friend a smile as she was engulfed into a hug.

"Congratulations on the win Ginny!"

They pulled away and Ginny shook her head at her, "You missed the entire game, didn't you?"

Hermione's smile faltered and she hung her head, "Yes, I'm sorry. I—I had something important to take care of. It took much longer than intended."

Instead of being mad, the red head slipped her arm into Hermione's and bumped her with her hip, "It's alright. Now let's go and celebrate in the common room. Dean and Seamus are getting supplies from the kitchens as we speak!"

Hermione forced a laugh and let Ginny lead her back up to the castle. Truth be told, she wasn't in any mood to party, but she needed to put on a charade so that no one became suspicious of her. For now, she would keep her unplanned pregnancy a secret; especially from those who knew Ron the best. She didn't know what she was going to do, and if Ron found out, he'd want to get back together with her and raise the child with her. That was completely out of the question. So, as they made their way through the castle with their peers, Hermione smiled and nodded her head happily at Ginny as she retold the thrilling game in detail to her. Until she heard back from Harry, she would bear this secret alone.

Entering their common room to whoops and cheers, Hermione felt some of her uneasiness slip away. She had a great group of friends, who would help her once she shared her secret. Until then, the burden was all hers.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N: Please make sure to review! I can't wait to write the next chapter for you!**


	6. Six

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. Now it seems as though Hermione's life is slowly spiraling out of control, and Draco is slowly trying to rebuild his reputation. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate. Disclaimer inside.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****:** Please note the change in my pen name from SaTiNk06 to **DustNight25832**. I decided a change was in order as I haven't been called TiNk since high school. This has also been changed on tumblr. So are you all ready for a little Dramione action!? Things start to get interesting! Hope you love this chapter…because I know did writing it! As always, thanks to my awesome beta, StoneFeather30135. You should check out her fic, _A Light Within the Darkness_, if you get the chance! (_Please also note that I have begun adding a song recommendation for each chapter! I highly recommend listening to this song because it fits so well into the chapter!)_

**Song Recommendation****: **_'Illuminated' by Hurts_

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 19, 1998

Draco frowned at his essay for Alchemy as Granger sighed for the tenth or eleventh time. Honestly, he'd lost count along the way. After dinner he'd gone to the library to escape into the Restricted section for some quiet study time. He had a four foot essay to write on Golpalott's Third Law, and he wanted to get it out of the way seeing as he knew his schedule would be pretty full the next few weeks. Unfortunately, Granger had already taken refuge behind a huge pile of spell books, and hadn't looked up once since he'd taken a seat at his usual table. That didn't mean she wasn't making her presence known. He was pretty certain that she'd gone through each of the three books on her table at least twice, and each time she finished she'd sigh and start again.

It was driving him mad and he wasn't sure how many more sighs he could handle before he absolutely _lost_ it. He'd cracked the tip of his quill twice and had to repair it, not to mention the fact that he'd read the same paragraph over and over again for the past ten minutes. Draco knew he was being irrational, but he was doing so well in his classes, and he didn't want to disappoint his mother. Especially now that he knew she wasn't doing so well being locked up alone in the Manor. Being alone in the Manor would drive anyone insane these days; the Dark Lord had turned it from the large and beautiful home it had been into a sort of dark and dreary torture chamber. Honestly, his mother needed to get out of there, but where would she go?

Draco ran a hand through his hair and picked his quill back up. He needed to focus, so he grimaced and read the paragraph _again_, hoping to actually take in the facts this time, but that was when Granger sighed, _again_. That was the last straw for him; he threw down his quill, slammed his book closed, and slid his chair back to turn and glare at the girl. She didn't even realize the effect she was having on him as she was still intently scanning the book page by page. Clearing his throat in anger, Draco decided to interrupt her.

"Granger, what the bloody hell are you doing with those spells books? If you sigh one more time I'm going to hex the book right off the table and I don't care if they send me back to Azkaban!"

Instead of immediately responding to him like he expected, she slowly closed the book and placed it back on the pile looming in front of her. Only then did she take a deep breath and lift her face to look at his, and Draco was startled to find that there were unshed tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to say something else, but she held up her hand and he closed it back up. She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a half smile.

"I'm sorry Malfoy. I am looking for a spell, but can't seem to find it. It's rather frustrating for me. I'm used to finding the answer to everything here." She tucked a curl that had fallen loose from her bun and stood from the table collecting her books as she went. He watched her put a few away on the shelves in their area before returning to the table for the book she had just closed. "I was told that I might find the spell in this book, but I've skimmed through it quite a few times today, and haven't found a thing…" She trailed off staring longingly at the book, but he caught the catch of breath in her throat.

Just great. He'd upset her again. If he wasn't careful, she'd start telling Potter or McGonagall about it and he'd be out of here faster than you can say Azkaban. Time to kiss some ass, he thought, as he ran his hand through his hair.

"What kind of spell are you looking for?"

"A memory charm."

"Have you tried _Obliviate_?" He offered hoping it would help her out a bit.

She turned to glare at him, holding the book against her chest, "I know how to use the _Obliviate_ spell, Malfoy." She walked out of the sitting area and must have replaced the book wherever it belonged, because a moment later she returned empty handed to collect her bag, "I need a spell to reverse it."

It looked like she was about to burst into tears, and that was definitely not something Draco could handle from her, so he stood up and trailed his fingrs over the books scattered on the shelf next to him. It was true that the girl had been going through the books in the library at an alarming rate since they'd returned to Hogwarts. He always found her sitting back here with a pile of books and a determined look on her face. When did she get work for her classes done? He never saw her working on any of it. The circles under her eyes told another story altogether; Draco realized with a start that she mustn't be sleeping properly. What the bloody hell did he suddenly care about her? It wasn't his problem that she wasn't sleeping, or doing her class work, or even that she couldn't find a damn spell to reverse a memory charm…but he couldn't help asking why.

"Why do you need to reverse a memory charm? I always thought one didn't want someone to remember the memories they took away."

Chills ran down his spine as he met Grangers eyes; tears were leaking from the corners and they were glistening with more to come. She took a deep breath and brushed the treacherous trails from her cheeks before replying.

Very quietly so that Draco had to take a step forward to properly hear her, she said, "Before I left home to help Harry search for Horcruxes, I took my parent's memories away; their memories of me." She turned away then and he saw her body shaking with quiet sobs. Why was he always making the girl cry?

"You made them forget you?"

"Yes."

"Why would you do that?"

She whipped back around to face him, "Because Death Eaters were going after Muggles. Because I didn't want them finding my parents and torturing them for information about me and my whereabouts." She took a deep breath, "Because I was afraid of losing them…"

"Where are they?" Draco asked taking another step towards her. His chest ached with an unfamiliar feeling…was that empathy? No, it couldn't be.

"Harry and I did some searching this summer; we believe they're somewhere in Australia. They live there and have no memories of me…they don't even know I exist." More tears fell from her eyes and Draco ignored the pang in his chest.

"So that's why you've been reading through the library, like it's going to disappear tomorrow, for the past few days."

"Yes…that and I haven't heard back from Harry about the letter I sent him on Saturday. I'm getting worried."

"Well, Granger, I don't know what that letter was about, but I do know it was important. If Potter is your best friend like I believe he is; I'm sure he'll get back to you any day now."

Hermione sniffled a little and gave a weak smile, which surprisingly, Draco returned for once, and shrugged, "You're probably right. I'm overreacting."

"I'm always right."

She snorted, literally snorted, causing Draco to break into a larger grin, "You and your ego." She glanced at her watch then and gave a start, wiping the remaining tears from her face, "Malfoy, we have the Prefects' meeting in ten minutes. We better get going!"

"I nearly forgot about that." He mumbled causing her to glare at him. Good, the tears were gone. The pair packed their belongings up and left the library together, ignoring the pointed looks their peers gave them.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Within minutes they were seated in the Great Hall, next to each other for once, while the Prefects filtered in. Once everyone had arrived, Draco gestured for them to quiet down, and then Hermione took the lead as she usually did with the meetings.

"Alright everyone, now that we're all here, McGonagall has asked us to discuss with you ideas for Halloween. She's leaving it up to us to decide what we would like to do to celebrate the holiday this year. It falls on a Saturday, so we can pretty much do whatever we want. Are there any ideas?"

David, the Gryffindor Prefect piped up, "What about a Hogsmeade trip?"

Ginny shot him down though, "That's scheduled for November 7th. There will be no changing it." She then winked at Hermione, which indicated that Harry would most likely be able to visit that day. This made her stomach lurch. She still hadn't heard back from him. She was starting to get worried. What if he was disgusted with her? With a heavy swallow she continued on.

"Ginny is right. We're not at liberty of scheduling trips into Hogsmeade. That's completely up to McGonagall."

"Well, we can just have the usual feast, right?" Terry from Hufflepuff asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Yes, I suppose that's always a good idea. Hagrid has plenty of pumpkins to share for decorations." Hermione stated writing some notes down on her parchment. She glanced up at the group, "Is everyone alright with just having a traditional feast this year?"

Everyone nodded with approval and Luna raised her hand, "I can see if my father will send us some different creatures for decorations."

Hermione scrunched up her face, but quickly changed it into a smile, "Sure, Luna. That sounds great." Luna smiled happily and went back to re-lacing her sneakers. Hermione then glanced back at her parchment, "Okay, if that's all settled, let's move on to writing up November's round schedule."

"I have a suggestion."

Hermione whipped her head around to look at Malfoy. He was staring at her intently, and she could sense the grumbles from the rest of the Prefects, but he was Head Boy and she needed to show them that his opinion mattered as well, even if they didn't like it.

"What is it Malfoy?"

"Why don't we have a ball, for Halloween?"

Hermione's mouth wanted to fall open, but she suppressed the desire. She cleared her throat instead, "A ball?"

"Yes, we can decorate the hall as you wanted, but we can also hire a band and dress up." He shrugged and raised his eyebrows towards the others, "What do you all think?"

Hermione thought they'd shoot his idea down right away, but all the girls seemed thoroughly interested. Luna and Ginny were chatting about what they could wear and the boys were even throwing about ideas. Ginny was the first one to address Malfoy about the idea.

"What if we made it a Halloween Masquerade Ball? We could all wear fancy dresses and dress robes, as well as masks. It would be a really fun way to spend the evening instead of just eating a normal feast."

"A Masquerade might be interesting. What do you think Granger?" he turned to face her and she was in shock. They actually _liked_ Malfoy's idea. What was happening? She knew she needed to respond, but she was speechless. She glanced down at her notes and scribbled, 'Masquerade' before looking back at the Prefects, and then Malfoy.

"Sure. We can do that. How will we go about planning it? We have two weeks."

Malfoy smirked and rubbed his hands together, "Get ready to take some more notes, Granger." He then turned towards the Prefects, "I used to help my mother plan all the parties at the Manor, so here's how we're going to get this all done…"

For the next forty five minutes Malfoy explained everything they needed to do and Hermione jotted down notes. For the most part she kept silent and let him interact with the others because she felt it was good for him. They'd been very cold with Malfoy since the beginning of the semester, and this was a step in the right direction. McGonagall would be pleased. By the time the meeting ended, it was sometime after nine and Hermione's hand was tired from all the notes she'd taken. The plan was that the fifth years would be in charge of planning the food and decorations, the sixth years were in charge of getting a band and planning how the Great Hall would be set up, and the seventh years would supervise with Hermione and Malfoy, overseeing the entire night. The Prefects dispersed in great spirits and Hermione sighed in relief. The next few weeks were going to be stressful, but she knew they could get it all done. Luckily they had a great group of Prefects. Now she and Malfoy just had to take the idea to McGonagall for approval, but she didn't see it being a problem.

Malfoy helped her gather their notes, and then turned to her with a smirk on his face, "That went well."

"I was afraid they'd shoot your idea down, well, because it was yours."

"Yeah, I did too."

"What made you come up with the idea of a ball?"

Malfoy handed her the notes from the meeting and took a moment to answer. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but eventually, just shrugged, "I thought everyone had such a good time at the Yule ball four years ago, why not give it another go?" Making their way from the Great Hall into the entrance way, Hermione stopped and turned towards him.

"Well, I think it's an excellent idea. It sure got everyone's interest at least. If everything goes according to plan, it should go off without a problem. This is just what we need to get everyone working together and it's a great mood booster!"

"I'm glad I have your support, Granger. I'll head up to McGonagall's office right now and discuss it with her."

"I can come with you."

He smirked, "I think you're going to have other things on your mind here shortly."

"What?" she asked, confusion on her brow, but Malfoy simply pointed to the window where a small gray owl was tapping impatiently. "That's Harry's owl!" She exclaimed and rushed over to let it in. The owl landed on the banister and hooted happily while holding out its leg. Hermione quickly undid the letter and held it to her chest watching as Lilith flew back out the window. Then she slowly turned back to Malfoy, "I can still come with you if you'd like."

"Don't worry about it, Granger. I can handle McGonagall and the plans for the Masquerade Ball. You've been waiting for that response letter. Go ahead and read it. I'll see you tomorrow." He turned and walked away down the hall before she could respond. Her chest hummed at the uncharacteristic show of kindness Malfoy had just showed her, but instead of dwelling on it too much, she slipped around the corner to find an empty classroom to read Harry's letter in private. There would be too many people in the common room right now to hide from, so this was the next best option.

The Muggle Studies classroom was deserted, so she scurried in and locked the door before sinking into a chair and tearing the letter open. She sighed in relief at seeing Harry's scrawl upon the page. It made her miss him even more.

_Hermione,_

_I'm sorry for taking so long to get back to you, but I've been away on a training mission, and was just able to get a chance to write back to you. As soon as I received your letter, I was called away, and just returned home. Do not worry though, no one else has read your letter. It's been destroyed. Apparently Ron must have tried to get the letter off that owl you used, because his hands have been bitten to the point where Petunia had to wrap them tightly in gauze. It was pretty funny actually. Whose owl was that anyway? Clever creature._

_To say that I wasn't shocked by your letter would be a lie. I was unsure what to say, so I am glad I had a few days to think about it. First off, I think that, eventually, Ron needs to know. I am not saying that you need to get back with him, but he's the father; he should know. Second, you should probably go and see Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall about the situation. It would be wise to get a check up and let the Headmistress know in case something happens._

_I'm sure you know by now, but I'll be coming for the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. I cannot wait to see you and Ginny. We'll be able to talk more then, but for now, don't panic. Try to act as normal as possible, and please take care of yourself. I know how you stress yourself out over simple things, so you must be going crazy with worry. Please, relax. Just focus on your studies and act as if everything is okay. We'll figure something out. I promise._

_I can't wait to see you!_

_Love,_

_Harry_

_PS: Dudley says hello…and that he doesn't blame you for breaking up with Ron. The two just don't get along. At all._

When she was finished reading the letter Hermione pulled her wand from her robes and tapped it causing it to catch fire. She sat quietly as the flames ate the parchment away and then she blew the remaining ash onto the floor. Harry's kind words helped to ease her panic about her pregnancy, but she certainly still did not feel at ease about the situation. He wanted her to tell Pomfrey and McGonagall; she couldn't do that. They would be so disappointed with her. The thought made her sick to her stomach. With a sweep of her wand, the ashes were gone and she stood from the chair. She needed to get up to her dorm and actually get some real work done.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 26, 1998

One week later, Hermione sat in Alchemy waiting for class to begin with a sort of panic. The night before she'd tried on her favorite dress with the hope of wearing it to the Ball, only to discover that it was too tight. She wasn't showing many outward signs of being pregnant just yet, but apparently she had gained a few pounds too many to fit comfortably into her favorite red dress. It was with great discomfort that she'd gone into Ginny's room and asked her if she could borrow her dress catalog. Ginny had, of course, given it to her, but only after inquiring why she needed a new dress. Hermione had lied and said there was a tear in the skirt of the dress, and that she figured it would be best to get a new one instead of fixing the old one. Ginny had believed her and told her to let her know when she decided on one so they could order together, but they had to order by Tuesday for it to be in by Friday!

So, now as she waited for Professor Spagyric to come in, she was frantically flipping through the pages of fancy party dresses hoping one would strike her fancy. Malfoy came into class and settled down next to her quietly. There were still a few minutes before class started and she hoped she'd find a dress before then so she could go to lunch and tell Ginny they could send out their order. Hermione stopped flipping when she came to a page with a few possible contenders. She bit her lip and tapped her quill impatiently as she tried to decide.

One dress was navy blue with a sweetheart neckline that laced up the back. It had a bit of a corset style bodice and the skirt was long, billowy, and made of chiffon. There were also little silver gems placed on the skirt with a few trimming the neckline. It was beautiful, but the other dress caught her eye as well. The second dress was a deep green made out of silk. It had a swooping neckline with short sleeves that would sit off her shoulders. She skirt also billowed out and had a black lace design up the side. It was very sexy in Hermione's opinion; not usually her style.

Suddenly, with a gasp, she realized Malfoy was leaning rudely over her shoulder trying to see what she was looking at. She slapped the magazine closed and turned in her chair to face him. "What Malfoy? Do you need something?"

With a smirk he leaned away from her and opened his book, "Sorry I was just seeing what you were looking at. Need a new dress Granger? Nothing fancy enough in that closet of yours, or maybe nothing that fits?"

Hermione swallowed thickly, trying not to let his words affect her, but it was difficult. Her hormones were all messed up, and honestly, his words hurt a bit. The only fancy dress she had was all the way from Bill and Fleur's wedding and it didn't fit…because she was pregnant, but he didn't know that. Feeling tears sting her eyes and stuffed the magazine back into her bag and secretly brushed the tears from her eyes before straightening back up to face Malfoy.

"As a matter of fact, I do need a dress for those reasons. Now if you could please leave me _alone_." She turned away from him just as Spagryic entered class and asked them to open their books to page 274. She didn't see the startled look that crossed his face, and she chose not to notice how he sulked for the rest of the class with his chin in his hand as he took notes. When Spagryic dismissed them, she bolted from her chair in the hopes of putting as much distance between her and Malfoy as she could.

Unlucky for her, he caught up to her halfway down the staircase. He grabbed her arm and turned her around. They stood there staring angrily at each other as students brushed past them. He was a few steps above her looking down with something she couldn't name shining in his silvery eyes. She pulled her arm from his hand and placed her hands on her hips glaring at him. Malfoy stepped down, until he was only one step above her, and she put her chin in the air in defiance.

"What do you want now, Malfoy?"

"Why do you always have to be so bloody stubborn?"

"Me? You're the one who enjoys insulting me even though all I ever do is stick up for your ass!"

"Look," he began lowering his voice as the students still passed them, "I apologize. It was insensitive of me to say such a comment to a lady, even if it _is_ you." He added with a smirk.

Hermione felt her resolve crumbling as he smiled down at her and she shook her head moving her arms to cross her chest and sighed, "Its fine, Malfoy. I have a lot going on right now. I should learn to control my emotions better. I know you can't help making rude comments, but I'd appreciate it if you'd leave me alone."

He nodded and she turned to go, but he grabbed her arm once more, "I'd also like it if you stopped grabbing me all the time."

Malfoy let go of her arm immediately and shoved his hands in his pockets. Again they stood staring at one another, but no more students passed by them. Everyone, it seemed, was at lunch. In a rather bold move, Malfoy stepped down so that they were on the same level and stared right into her eyes. Hermione couldn't breathe. She didn't blink. All she could think was how good Malfoy smelled and that being this close to him wasn't all that bad. It made her feel something warm within her chest and immediately she stepped back, her heart beating wildly behind her ribcage. "Is something wrong?" She managed to choke out.

"The blue dress was lovely."

That's all he said before turning and gliding down the rest of the staircase and disappearing into the Great Hall. Hermione stood there in shock at what had just happened. What was going on? Malfoy was being kind to her, and she'd _felt_ something. Grimacing, she blamed it on her raging hormones, and stomped down into the hall to sit with Ginny at the Gryffindor table. Everything was a complete and utter mess with her right now, and she needed her best girl friend, but with a frown, she realized that her friend had no idea what was going on with her right now. Ginny looked up as she stumbled into her seat with a question in her eyes, but Hermione waved her off. She pulled the magazine from her bag, opened to the page she'd been looking at before class, and pointed to a dress.

"I want that one."

Ginny raised her eyebrows at her and smiled, "That's gorgeous, Hermione! Here give me the magazine; I'll place the order for us." Hermione handed it over and set about making herself a turkey and cheese sandwich for lunch. She adamantly avoided looking at the Slytherin table for the rest of the hour, a weird squirming feeling going on in her chest that she couldn't quite place.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 30, 1998

Draco was currently lying on his bed staring at the ceiling and pondering about how his semester had been going so far. He couldn't complain really; he had top marks in all his classes, the Prefects were finally starting to accept his Head Boy position, and Granger wasn't as much of an annoying presence as he had previously thought she would be. He knew coming back that she would be Head Girl. There was no getting around it; she was always destined for the position. If he was being honest, he had to admit he actually enjoyed working with her. They were a great team and their potions project was coming along nicely. Now all they needed was to decide on a new potion to create and they would be set for the year. Slughorn was planning on giving them some ideas next week even.

He rolled over and took in the clean scent of his bed. The house elves must have done the laundry earlier. It was nearly midnight and he should really have been getting ready for bed, but his mind was abuzz with too many thoughts. Working the past two weeks with the Prefects and Granger planning the Ball had been pretty stress free, but why then was he so jazzed up tonight? Maybe it had to do with the fact that he'd received a letter from his mother earlier concerning what she'd been up to lately. Something about the letter wasn't clicking with him; he could feel his mind turning the letter over and over again, but he couldn't come to the conclusion it was looking for. The constant churning was driving him barmy.

With a grunt, Draco opened his eyes and pushed himself up to grab the letter off his nightstand before rolling onto his back once more. He was wearing only his boxers and the bed felt cool and soft under his back. The lush green curtains were drawn around his bed blocking out the light from the moon, so he used his wand and a silent _lumos_ to read the letter again. He hoped that this time he might come to some sort of answer.

_My Dragon,_

_I do hope you are well. Everything is the same here at the Manor, well, almost. The Ministry has been sending in officials to search for any remaining Dark objects pertaining to your father or the Dark Lord. They are not bothering me so much. I have taken to residing in the library each day they are here. I keep busy reading or organizing the numerous shelves of books, as you know how badly they needed it._

_As for me, I am well. I feel much better as of late, so, please, stop sending me such worried letters. You have more important things to worry about than your silly mother. I will be fine; the holidays will be here soon, and we'll be together once more. I look forward to it every day. _

_For now, my son, keep your head up and your anger intact. I know how you can be. Your father may have done some horrible things, but he did not raise you to be so angry all the time. He would want you to find happiness. I know it is unfortunate that he has been put away, and every single day I hurt for him, but you need to move on. You have been cleared of all charges; you're a free wizard. Do some good for the world; do some good for you. Be happy._

_Much love,_

_Mother_

Scrunching the letter into an angry ball, he realized what he'd missed before; The Malfoy Manor Library. His mother was spending an ungodly amount of time in that dark and dank room. There were enough Dark magic, spell, and potions books in there to last someone a lifetime. Draco sat up in the bed his heart beating rapidly as a thought occurred to him; Granger and her missing spell book. What if the book she was searching so earnestly for dwelled on the shelves of the Manor's library? He could write to his mother and ask her to look; she would surely agree. Wouldn't she?

Draco growled and shoved the bed curtains aside as he got to his feet. He stormed to his desk and picked up his quill; he would simply leave out the fact that it was for Granger. His mother wouldn't question his curiosity, or would she? Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed; he needed to be honest with her. Why should he keep something like this from his own mother when she was all he had left? Granger had been tortured in their home. They owed her this much. With his heart beating wildly in his chest with a panging he didn't recognize, he began to write.

_Mother, _

_I am glad to hear that you are doing well; I am doing well also. Everything here at school is fine. My classes are interesting and the Head Girl, Hermione Granger, and I are planning a Masquerade ball for Halloween along with the other Prefects. It seems that it's going to go off without a hitch. Everyone at school is immensely excited. _

_I hope the Ministry isn't bothering you too much; it would not be good for your health. Speaking of the Library and Granger, I have a bit of a favor to ask of you. I hope you do not mind. It seems as though before the War fully got into swing, Granger performed a very strong memory charm on her parents so that they would stay safe and out of sight. Unfortunately, no one here on the staff seems to know the counter spell, and the books in the library have been most unhelpful for the girl. _

_I was wondering if you could possibly search through our library for something that may help her with the problem. She'd been hoping to restore their memories before the holidays, but so far hasn't had any luck. Her searching is interfering with her studies and our Head duties. I know it is uncharacteristic of me to want to help Granger, but I feel that we owe her, that _I_ owe her, for past deeds. _

_Stay well and love,_

_Draco_

The letter was short and to the point; exactly what he knew his mother needed in order to do this for him. He put the letter in an envelope and then put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt as well as his sneakers before slipping out of his room. The common room was empty; it looked as if everyone had gone to bed at a decent hour in preparation for the Ball tomorrow night. He and Granger had already done their rounds for the night, so if he got caught out of bed at this point he was looking at deduction of points or detention. Sliding a hand through his hair, he realized he didn't care. He truly wanted to help Granger out, and that scared him even more than getting caught out of bed.

A clock chimed somewhere indicating midnight causing him to stop in his tracks and close his eyes. The sound seemed to resonate within his very soul. He knew that he was _changing_, slowly, and he could feel it tingling all over his body. After a moment he opened his eyes and began walking again. For the most part, though, Draco wasn't scared; everything felt like it was finally coming into focus.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

October 31, 1998

Hermione was a nervous wreck as she attempted to apply the finishing touches on her makeup. Why was she so nervous? It was simple ball; just a silly little ball. She'd fought in a damn war for Merlin's sake! Setting down her blush brush, she stared at her reflection with interested eyes. Her makeup tonight was simple, just a bit of shimmery eye shadow, dark mascara and eyeliner, and blush. Her hair had taken her hours to do of course; it was twisted to the back of her head with a braid across the top. Small, loose curls fell down from the back; her hair had gotten quite long over the past year and a half. Everything was simple, but elegant in her opinion. Ginny had suggested the hairstyle and had even stopped in to help at one point,, knowing how utterly dreadful Hermione's hair could be. Getting up from her vanity, Hermione turned to face her full length mirror, letting her robe slide from her shoulders to stand in nothing but her undergarments. She turned to her side and placed one hand on the tiny bump that was the child growing inside her. It was barely noticeable, and when she had tried on her dress, she was glad to notice that it would be hidden.

Sighing, she moved away from the mirror; it was time to get dressed. This was the moment she'd been waiting for all day; finally getting to put on her new dress and slip into her silver heels to see the finished product. With a small smile she opened her closet door and pulled out the large white bag. Her hands were shaking, though she couldn't say why, but she was able to hang it on the hook on the back of the door without a problem. Slowly, she unzipped the bag and let it fall to the floor as she did her robe. Stepping back she clasped her hands under her chin; she'd chosen the beautiful navy blue dress—the one Malfoy had mentioned was lovely. Hermione stepped up to the dress and then proceeded to put it on, using her wand to zip up the back.

When she'd put on the silver heels as well, she once again stepped in front of the mirror. She gasped at how pretty she looked. The dress was everything she'd imagined. The silver gems on the gown twinkled when the light hit it as if illuminated from within. With a sigh of happy contentedness, she slipped her wand into a hidden pocket on the dress, grabbed her silver masquerade mask, and left her room. She was going to make the best of tonight, even if she did have one hell of a secret weighing down on her shoulders. Entering the common room, she was glad to see all her friends waiting for her by the door. Ginny and Neville were waiting by the fireplace talking excitedly. Neville was holding his black mask and a corsage, for Hannah, and Ginny was twirling a loose curl around her finger.

They both gaped at Hermione when she joined them. Ginny was the first to get her voice back, "Merlin, Hermione, you look gorgeous in that dress!"

"Yeah, Hermione, that's a great color on you." Neville added with a blush.

Hermione smiled at her friends, "Thank you both. Shall we head down? Neville you look dashing tonight! Hannah is one lucky lady!" This caused him to blush again so she gently elbowed him.

Ginny grabbed her arm, "How do I look?" She placed her black mask on so Hermione could get the full effect. She was wearing a deep maroon gown with small straps. The entire gown had black lace covering it and had a large slit up the side. She'd chosen to wear black heels and had her hair pulled back with loose curls falling here and there. The ginger looked beautiful and Hermione told her so. After that the three headed down to the Great Hall; Neville disappeared fairly quickly to find his girlfriend. Ginny chattered on about how their planning had been so successful, but Hermione found she was barely listening; distracted by the transformation of the Great Hall for tonight.

Instead of the usual candles floating in the air, there were carved pumpkins; it was both eerie and festive. The four long house tables had been moved out and there were many little tables to seat up to six scattered about the room. To the left, the band for the evening, _Ghoul Time Lovers_, was set up with a large area for use as a dance floor, and at the front of the room, the table designated for the Professors, was set up as a large buffet table. The light in the room was dim, but light enough for everyone to see, and there was already a large group of students dancing. Hermione smiled as she stopped with Ginny by the buffet table.

The red head poured them both cups of punch and then surveyed the room, "We did a great job planning this."

Hermione nodded and sipped her drink, "Yes. It's really something isn't it?"

They hung out together for a bit before Ginny was found by Luna, who was wearing a bright magenta silk dress with a matching feathered mask. Hermione couldn't help but laugh as the strange girl pulled her friend away, but the laughter died away as she realized she was left alone. With a sigh, she placed her empty cup on the table where it immediately disappeared to be cleaned by the house elves, and began a sweeping round of the Great Hall. As Head Girl she was in charge of keeping an eye on everyone; they didn't want things getting out of hand. After all, butterbeer was being served tonight. Malfoy and Ginny had to beg for that little tid-bit for quite a few days before McGonagall had agreed.

After her sweep, Hermione settled herself against the wall towards the front of the Hall near the doors. She was secluded in the shadows of the dark corner so she could watch for anyone trying to sneak off to mosey about the castle. She was just starting to wonder where Malfoy was, seeing as he was supposed to be patrolling the dance as well, when she noticed someone enter the hall. She glanced over keeping to the shadows, and startled; Malfoy had just entered the hall. He was wearing black dress robes, but that wasn't what shocked her; his mask was the exact shade of her dress. She followed him with her eyes as he made his way through the Hall towards the buffet table.

He walked slowly and kept glancing around as if looking for something. When he reached the table of food, he poured himself a cup of punch and selected a pumpkin pastry to eat. As Hermione watched him, she realized that her heart started to beat a bit faster and that her palms began to sweat. She blamed it on her hormones and glanced away from the blond. That's when she spotted Luna and Ginny making their way back up to the buffet as well. She knew there was going to be trouble the moment Malfoy turned and said something to the two girls. She saw, as if in slow motion, Ginny poking him in the chest and scolding him for whatever he said while Luna stood to the side staring up at the enchanted ceiling. Hermione pushed away from the wall and meandered through the crowd, trying not to push anyone with her panic, to get to them before things could get heated.

She came to stand by Ginny and held her hands out in front of her, "What's going on here?"

Ginny faced her, "Malfoy here made a snide remark about Luna's mask and then proceeded to ask where you were hiding. I told him Luna could dress however she wanted for the ball and that he had no right to ask where you were." She was standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at Malfoy who looked a bit put out about the situation.

"Ginny, I think he was just joshing around." Luna simply stated as she lowered her gaze from the ceiling to her friend, "I'm not offended."

"That's not the point, Luna!"

Hermione watched as Luna merely shrugged and then waved at Padma and Pavarti from across the room. Luna took that as her opportunity to leave the conversation and headed over to visit with the twins. Ginny glared at her back as she went before turning her attention back to Hermione, "Still, I don't see why he needed to know your whereabouts."

"Ginny, we're Heads; he might have had a question for me, or possibly something else to discuss. Draco has every right to ask where I am at." She startled at the fact that she'd just called Malfoy by his first name, and she was pretty sure both he and Ginny both noticed as well because they both visibly stiffened.

Ginny sighed angrily and threw her hands into the air, "He's impossible Hermione, and so are you anymore." She stormed off into the crowd and Hermione glanced up at Malfoy. He was standing there awkwardly holding his cup and staring at the place where Ginny had disappeared to. Slowly he turned to face her causing her breath to catch in her throat at the heated stare he was giving her with his icy eyes through the dark blue of his mask.

"I apologize for Ginny; she means to protect me, but she forgets that I can take care of myself."

"I see."

"What did she say to you?"

"That I should leave you the hell alone."

"Really?"

"Yes, and then she poked me in the chest."

"You're lucky she didn't hex you."

He chuckled and set his cup down. They both watched as it vanished before turning to look out at the hall. Many of the tables were filled with students munching on Halloween treats, while others danced on the floor to the upbeat song the band was playing. "Everything looks great."

"Yes. Nice call with the ball, by the way."

"Thank you." He smirked then looked her up and down, causing a light blush to flush her cheeks, "I see you chose the blue dress."

"I did."

"It really is lovely."

"I was leaning towards it. I liked the silver gems."

"Granger?"

"Yes, Malfoy?"

"It looks lovely on you."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her feet while letting her hands slide down the sides of her dress, feeling the soft chiffon under her trembling fingers. Malfoy complimenting her was something she'd never in her entire life expected, and she didn't know how to respond to him, or how to react. She felt so shy all of a sudden and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his steady gaze.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

She cleared her throat and shrugged, "I guess I'll get back to patrolling." She made to turn away, but felt a hand placed gently on her bare shoulder. She felt herself turning back towards Malfoy before she actually realized what was happening. He let his hand fall from her shoulder but held it out, palm up, in front of her. She stared at it for a moment before looking into his face. A slow song was shimmering through the air around them.

"Dance with me, Granger?"

Instead of answering, Hermione lifted her hand and placed it within his. She shivered as his hand closed around hers, feeling as if a jolt of electricity passed between their intertwined hands. Malfoy led her down onto the dance floor, but she was barely paying attention. All she could think about was her hand in his and the feeling that was overtaking her entire body. He pulled her close, placing her other hand on his forearm and his free hand on her lower back, all the while never breaking the contact of their hands. Malfoy took a deep breath that Hermione felt to her very core, and then, they started to dance. It was a beautifully slow waltz, and Hermione found herself getting lost in the magic of it all. He twirled her around, never letting their hands separate as the music cascaded around them. It was tragically romantic and Hermione let her eyelids slip shut as he pulled her close once again for the end of the song.

When it ended, she opened her brown eyes, and gazed into his silver ones waiting for the room to come back into focus. The dim light from the hovering jack-o-lanterns was shining down onto his face giving it a beautiful sort of glow. Hermione never noticed how utterly handsome Malfoy was until now. Sure she'd thought he was nice to look at, but it was different now, _she_ was different now. Draco, yes Draco, not Malfoy, was different now. Something had changed within him, and she could sense that now. Maybe it was because they had spent so much time together or maybe it was because she too, had changed.

As he let go of her and stepped back, it was as if reality came crashing back into her all at once. She felt her head swimming as the realization of what was happening to her bombarded her mind. She clutched at her chest as she began to feel nauseous; for Merlin's sake she was pregnant with another man's child and here she was ogling Draco bloody Malfoy. Hermione couldn't comprehend what was wrong with her, but she felt Draco take her arm and lead her towards the buffet table. He was muttering something about how she needed to get some food in her and that she better not have another panic attack or he was carting her off to Madam Pomfrey.

Merlin she must be delusional to think, that quite possibly, Draco had some sort of feelings going on for her. No she must be mistaken; he was only concerned because she was Head Girl. Yes, that was it. No need to be irrational about all of this. She watched silently as he put a number of food items on her plate and filled a glass of punch for her. Then he shoved them into her trembling hands and prepared a plate and cup for himself. Draco turned to her and raised his eyebrows. Oh, he must have said something to her. Clearing her throat she asked him what he said.

"I said; lead the way to a table. You're eating something right now before you pass out."

She nodded before turning and heading back towards the dark corner she'd occupied earlier in the evening. It was getting late, and honestly, she did feel a bit hungry. Mentally, she scolded herself for not eating earlier. She had something inside of her relying on her for this sort of thing. She stumbled as she got to the table as she thought about the baby inside of her again, but Draco didn't seem to notice and sat down next to her. They ate in silence for a while watching the other ball attendants enjoying their time. Honestly, Hermione did feel better after she ate her food, and found she was sneaking glances over at Draco while he ate. What was happening to them?

When they had finished, and everything but their cups had disappeared, Draco placed his hands flat on the table and faced her. Hermione was glad she had a mask covering half of her face; it made her feel a little bit protected. She knew he was going to disclose something of high importance to her, but she had no idea what, and that scared her.

"I sent a letter to my mother last night asking her to help look for that spell book you need."

Of all the things Draco Malfoy could have said to her, which was definitely not what she'd been expecting to hear. She shook her head in confusion, "I don't understand…"

"At the Manor we have an extensive library filled with many rare books. I asked her to look for the spell to return your parent's memories. There might be something there that could help you."

"That's—very kind of you."

"It's not a problem. Mother has been spending a lot of time in the library while the Ministry raids the Manor."

"Oh." Hermione glanced away for a second, "I didn't realize that was still going on."

"Apparently they feel my father is still hiding things from them; which is probably true."

"I'm sorry."

He waved her off and took a deep breath that he slowly let out. Hermione felt very close to him tonight, and found she was sad that the night would be ending shortly. They would have to leave the magic of the night behind and go back to their Head duties before long. Hermione frowned at the entire situation in confusion. The band announced the last song of the night, and Draco stood from the table; Hermione stood as well and they both walked towards the doorway.

Draco stepped in front of Hermione and smiled, "I had a very lovely evening, Granger. Thank you for the dance." And then he took her hand in his, lifted it to his mouth, and gently placed a kiss upon her skin. The entire time, they never broke eye contact, and when his lips parted from her hand, he straightened up, gave her one last lingering look, and then promptly left the Great Hall, leaving Hermione standing there trembling as the students poured out of the Hall around her.

At some point Ginny could be heard calling her name, but she ignored the girl. Instead of heading out of the Hall with everyone else, she turned and stared back at the decorations and magic of it all. Something was changing within her; something drastic. She shivered as the jack-o-lanterns were extinguished one by one leaving her to only be illuminated by the light of the moon shining down from the enchanted ceiling.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N: Please leave me a ****review****! Thank you to **maymegirl**, **Malibu Baybreeze**, **StoneFeather30135**, and **potterdramionehead**, for reviewing, and also a thank you to those who favorite/followed!**


	7. Seven

_**Renewal**_

The War changed her. The War changed him. The War changed everyone. Now it seems as though Hermione's life is slowly spiraling out of control, and Draco is slowly trying to rebuild his reputation. This is a story about the renewal of relationships—family, friends, and intimate.

"_Listen, Malfoy, I understand that you've had a rough past few years…hell, we've both had a rough past few years, but we need to work together. You need to let people in. You need to let me in!" She shook his shoulders. "Fine, Granger!" he yelled into her face, and then, he kissed her. _

**Disclaimer****: This is rated M for a reason! There are instances of not so pretty language and sexual situations, so if you know you shouldn't be reading things of that nature…please don't read. If you don't mind a bit of grit in your readings, then by all means, read on! But be warned this is not fluff and bunnies! Also…I am making no money off of this. Bummer.**

**Author's Note****:** Sorry for the delay in this. Life has been ridiculous these past few months. My parents separated, I became a Girl Scout leader, I'm working two jobs, and I've found out that I have severe arthritis is my right wrist which makes using it difficult at times. Just keep on holding on and don't worry I will never abandon this story or you! Now that this chapter is up I will begin working on the next chapter of _Letting it all Go_. Cheers to my Beta, StoneFeather30135, for sticking with me and reading through this so I don't have a million mistakes!

**Song Recommendation****: **_'Heart in a Cage' by The Strokes and 'Apologize' by One Republic_

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

November 7, 1998

The past week seemed to drag for Hermione. Draco had been rather distant, and a bit hostile, towards her since Halloween. Luckily, today she wouldn't have to worry about him and his crankiness. Today, she was going to see her best friend and she couldn't be happier. It seemed like a decade since she'd last seen Harry's smiling face and messy black hair. She knew she would definitely have to share him with Ginny, but he'd promised that they would have time to talk about her situation. Harry would most likely be upset she hadn't talked to Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall, and she hoped he wouldn't force her to go today. She wasn't ready for anyone to know she was pregnant just yet.

Ginny had told her last night that Harry would be meeting them in Hogsmeade, so Hermione quickly pushed out of bed to get dressed. It was supposed to be chilly today, so she decided on her black jeans, grey turtleneck sweater, and her lace up black boots. She grabbed her thick black jacket and Gryffindor hat and gloves before leaving her room. It wasn't cold enough yet to worry about her scarf, but in a few weeks everyone was bound to be putting on layers before heading outside. The thought made Hermione smile; she loved winter.

The common room was full of students excited for today's trip into Hogsmeade, and also those in first and second year who were sad they wouldn't be going. Hermione smiled sadly, remembering those years of being jealous of the older students. Of course, she, Harry, and Ron had been so busy those first two years struggling to find out about Nicholas Flamel and the Chamber of Secrets; they didn't really worry about Hogsmeade too much. With a quick wave to Neville who was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, she slid out of the portrait hole to make her way to breakfast. Ginny was either still asleep or already at breakfast. Hermione hadn't stopped to see if she'd been in her room. She was in too much of a hurry to get to the Great Hall, eat, and then head down into the little town to see her best friend. Hermione hoped that seeing Harry would relieve some of the tension she'd been feeling lately. Upon arriving in the Great Hall, she immediately spotted the red head sitting at the Gryffindor table so she bustled over and had a seat across from her, setting her coat and hat on the bench next to her.

"Good morning Ginny!"

"Hey, Hermione, excited for today?" Ginny was pouring herself a cup of tea as she smiled up at Hermione. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. If Hermione felt excited to see Harry, it must be nothing compared to what his girlfriend was feeling. Hermione began making herself a bowl of oatmeal before giving Ginny a grin.

"Of course I'm excited. It's been so long since we've seen Harry. I hope he's as happy to see us as we are him."

"He better be. If he even pretends to be unhappy…well, I'll hex the shit out of him."

"I don't doubt that at all."

"You know me too well." Ginny flashed her a devilish smirk before taking a long sip of her tea.

"You're one of my best friends, of course I know you." Hermione giggled at Ginny and scooped up some oatmeal. "He knows what time to meet us, right? McGonagall said we could leave around ten."

"I'm pretty sure I sent him the time about three times, so if isn't there by ten, he's a git."

Hermione opened her mouth to comment on her friend's statement, but was cut off at the arrival of the mail. She found her eyes lifted upward to watch as the hundreds of owl flew to their owners. She wasn't expecting any mail, but it was always fun to watch. A certain silvery grey owl did catch her eye though. Zora was flying through the air straight for Draco Malfoy. Draco looked up just in time for Zora to land on the table in front of him. Hermione felt herself smiling as Draco's face broke into a grin at the sight of his owl. Ginny was saying something about Harry hoping to have dinner at the castle, and she tore her gaze away from Draco to focus back on her friend.

"We'll have to clear something like that with McGonagall you know." Hermione finished her oatmeal and sipped a glass of milk as Ginny pushed the last of her cereal around in the bowl. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"He's Harry Potter. I'm sure it will be fine. Now come on, I want to go to the loo before we leave." She stood from the table gathering her green jacket and gesturing for Hermione to join her.

Hermione nodded and gathered her things before getting up from the table as well. Her eyes slipped over to stare at Draco for a second before Ginny was pulling her hand to hurry her up. She wondered who the letter he was reading was from. He was reading it with such an intense look on his face. She was distracted from her thoughts by Ginny's excited chatter as she was swept from the Great Hall.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Draco was hoping that Zora would come today. He had yet to hear back from his mother, and he was starting to worry. Worrying was something Draco absolutely hated more than anything. When the owls fluttered into the Great Hall this morning, Draco let his eyes flick upwards briefly, until he spotted Zora, a breath he had been holding easing from his nose. He glanced up when his owl landed in front of him and immediately offered her a bit of toast.

"Hello there, old girl. Been wondering where you were." Zora nibbled the toast appreciatively and held her leg up for him to untie the letter. Another sigh of relief left him seeing his mother's handwriting on the envelope. He quickly undid the seal and began to read. The letter wasn't good news, but yet, it wasn't bad news either. Ultimately, it wasn't what he'd been expecting when he'd written her asking for help with Granger's spell problems. His heart beat a bit quicker thinking about what her reaction would be to the news. Zora ruffled her feathers in thanks and took off as Draco picked his head up to locate Granger at the table across the room, only to see her being dragged out of the hall by the female Weasley.

He hurried out of the hall just in time to see the pair enter the girl's loo. Draco leaned against the wall outside the loo with his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl upon his face. The letter from his mother was tucked into the back pocket of his jeans. He heard the Weasley girl giggle again from inside the loo and heard Granger mumble a response. They had been in there for nearly ten minutes. When he had followed them from the Great Hall, he hadn't expected to be kept waiting so long, but then again, he hadn't actually made his presence known either.

Suddenly, the two girls burst out into the hallway, Weasley still fluffing her hair in preparation of seeing her boyfriend after so long. Draco caught up to them quickly and cleared his throat before calling out, "Granger, do you have a minute?"

The two girls stopped and turned towards him with puzzled expressions upon their faces. He held up the letter and noticed how Granger's eyes widened in recognition. "Sure Malfoy. What is it?" He gestured for her to step into the empty Muggle Studies classroom and she followed. Once inside, he gave her a half-smirk. "Remember how I wrote to my mother about your memory charm dilemma?" Granger nodded so he continued, "Well, I finally heard back." He took a deep breath at the hopeful look on her face knowing he didn't have the best news for her. He still pushed forward with his information knowing that it wouldn't be long before the red headed girl burst in. "She wrote that the Ministry has probably confiscated the book from the Manor or the Death Eaters who dwelled there for the past two years got their hands on it. Either way, she was unable to locate it."

Granger let out a huge sigh before tucking a loose curl behind her ear. "Thank you for trying Malfoy. I appreciate the effort." She turned to leave and Draco found himself reaching out to her; his hand wrapping gently around her wrist. She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Wait, there's more to it." She stopped trying to leave and he removed his hand. "She's given a suggestion for you."

"A suggestion?"

"Yes, she says that maybe you could try concocting a potion: a memory restorative potion."

"I'd never even thought of that…" Granger moved to stare out the window, placing her hands on the windowsill. Draco let her have her moment of peace knowing she had a lot to think about in the short amount of time. After a few quiet, contemplative moments, she turned to face him once more.

"I could do that. It could be my Seventh Year Project for Potions."

"Yes, I thought that as well."

"It will be a lot of research and trial and error attempts."

"Most likely."

"I might need help."

"Slughorn will no doubt—''

"I was talking about you, actually."

"You want _my_ help?"

"Of course, after all, you were the one to owl your mother and ask for information. We can do it together. Professor Slughorn will love it." She gave him a gentle smile as Draco watched that curl come loose once more.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay. First thing Monday we'll go talk to him together."

Her smile became larger and she removed her gloves form her pocket just as Weasley came through the door. "Come on, Hermione. We have to meet Harry in less than fifteen minutes!" The bushy haired girl followed her friend out the door, but ducked back in just long enough to say, "Thank you," before vanishing once more.

Draco dropped into a chair and refolded his mother's letter. With the door to the classroom now open, he could hear the chatter from the students who were headed to Hogsmeade for the day. He himself had no plans of going considering he didn't have very fond memories of the place. Plus, he didn't want to cause any problems at the Three Broomsticks after what happened in his sixth year.

He sat in the classroom until the hallway quieted and then stood from the chair. He supposed it was a good time to head to the library and work on some homework…or something. It was either that or sit in his room and think about the fact that he'd gone from hating Granger to being glad she wanted his help with a project. Draco was still the same person as far as he was concerned, but he knew that there were characteristics about him that were changing.

As he made his way towards the library, he pondered this question: All his life he had been hateful towards Muggleborns, but how were you supposed to be cruel to someone who showed you compassion and trust? Especially someone whom you used to torture mercilessly? There was something to be said about Granger's tenacity. He'd always known she was a Gryffindor, but somehow, now, it just made sense. She was caring and brave, as well as brilliant. She was far too good to simply be a Ravenclaw. Yes, it all made sense now.

Grabbing a book at random upon entering the Library, Draco took a seat by the window. The sun was shining and he knew Hogsmeade must be lovely today. He never truly appreciated anything until after the War. The book he had grabbed was a History book—not really what he wanted, but he smoothed a hand over the cover anyways before flipping open to a random page to begin reading. It was better than doing nothing at all, and certainly much better than thinking about Granger the whole day.

With a gentle thud, he let his face drop onto the table. He couldn't get damn Granger out of his head and it was really starting to bother him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hermione followed Ginny out of the castle, her mind still on what Draco had told her. Looking for the book was now hopeless, but concocting a potion could definitely work. Plus, it could count as their Potions Project! It was already November and she hadn't gotten started on one yet. Normally, one would brew the Polyjuice Potion, but she'd done that too many times for it to be much of a challenge. Hermione Granger did not take the easy way out. Coming up with a new potion would be a challenge indeed, but she'd have Potions expert, Draco Malfoy to help her out. Maybe things were looking up?

Hermione was brought back into the present by Ginny exclaiming, "You have got to be kidding me?!" She glanced up from her feet, which she had been watching, to see what was wrong. What she saw made her stop in her tracks. Harry was standing by the Hogsmeade gate, but he wasn't alone. Ron Weasley was standing just a few steps behind him, his hands in his pockets and a small frown upon his face.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat and she felt her heartbeat speed up. She was about to go into full panic mode when Ginny stomped forward, ignored her boyfriend, and shoved her brother in the chest. He tripped over his feet and stumbled backwards a bit before crying out, "What was that for?"

Ginny stamped her foot. "You know exactly what that was for. Be glad that's all you got!" She turned towards Harry who was looking a bit sheepish. "What the bloody hell is he doing here?"

Harry merely shrugged. "He overheard me talking to Dudley about visiting today. When I Apparrated—he followed. I can't just make him leave."

Ginny turned back to Ron who was rubbing his chest. "I can't believe you're showing your face, Ron." Before the fiery girl could say anymore, Hermione placed a hand of her shoulder.

"It's alright, Ginny. I'll make due. Harry has come to see us—let's make the most of today." Ginny let out a deep sigh and gave her friend a quick hug.

"If it gets to be too much for you, just let me know and I'll take care of it," she whispered into Hermione's ear. Hermione nodded in acknowledgement.

As soon as Ginny released Hermione, she threw herself into Harry's waiting arms. They shared a passionate kiss which Hermione turned away from to give the couple some privacy. After a few minutes, Harry tapped her on the shoulder. She turned back around, a large grin on her face. Harry pulled her in for a fierce hug. With her arms squeezing tightly around her best friend, she found herself being swung about before once again being placed on the ground.

"It's so good to see you, Hermione."

"It's good to see you to, Harry. I've missed you."

Harry smiled, his green eyes sparkling behind his thick glasses. "Are you doing alright?"

She nodded, afraid that Ron or Ginny might overhear their conversation. "We can find some time to talk privately later."

"Of course."

"Why is he _really_ here?"

"He wants to apologize."

"It's too late for that."

"I know. Do you want me to try and make him leave?"

"No…not right now anyway."

"Just let me know." He grabbed her hand and started to head back over to where Ginny and Ron were standing. "Let's go enjoy the shops before lunch!" Hermione smiled and let him lead her over to the scowling Ron and impatient Ginny. She couldn't help the uneasy feeling that settled in her stomach.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

The morning moved along steadily. The four went through the big shops in Hogsmeade including Honeydukes, as well as a few of the smaller ones like the Quill shop Hermione loved so much. Ron stayed away from Hermione for the most part, but it was difficult in the more crowded shops. Harry and Ginny did a pretty good job at being buffers though. Every store they went in there were witches and wizards that wanted to talk to Harry or get his autograph. Needless to say, by the time the afternoon rolled around, they were all ready for a warm meal and a large mug of Butterbeer.

They made their way through the fallen leaves, the girls struggling to keep their hair from blowing into their faces. Luckily, upon entering the Three Broomsticks, they noticed an empty table in the far corner. Ginny and Ron went over to save it while Harry and Hermione went to the bar to order food and drinks. They decided fish and chips would be good for them all and waited for their drinks to be ready.

"I'm glad you could come today, Harry."

"Me too. It's been nice to be back here…well besides everyone wanting my autograph."

Hermione chuckled, but nodded in understanding. She remembered their summer in Diagon Alley all too well. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. It never occurred to me it would happen here too."

Harry smiled and paid Madam Rosemerta for everything. "Me either. I was used to people being interested in me before the war, but it's much worse now."

Avoiding a couple that was snogging, Hermione followed Harry as they moved through the pub. "After lunch we can find a place to talk."

Harry looked over his shoulder and met her eyes. "Definitely" They reached the table and passed around the overflowing mugs of Butterbeer. Ginny was seated next to her brother and Harry sat across from her with Hermione next to him. For the first time since that morning, Ron spoke up.

"So, um, how are classes?" He looked so uncomfortable that Hermione actually felt a tiny bit bad for him. Ginny simply rolled her eyes.

"Mine are good. I like my Seventh Year Project the best. I'm working with Madam Hooch so I can try out for Quidditch teams after I'm done with school." Ginny sipped her drink before continuing, "She has me coming up with strategies and training schedules for the House teams. I'm also the Gryffindor Captain."

Harry beamed with pride and Ron seemed genuinely happy for his sister. "Every team is going to want you." Ron glanced over at Hermione then. "How are yours?"

Hermione took a deep breath and sat up a bit straighter in her chair. It was the first time she'd be speaking to Ron since the incident. "My classes are fine, Ronald."

"What are you doing for your Seventh Year Project?" asked Harry. "Any luck with that yet?"

"Actually, I've come up with a Potions Project just this morning."

"Potions?" sputtered Ron. "Harry said Malfoy was working on that."

"Yes, we'll be working together."

Ginny shot Ron a dirty look to shut him up before he could even open his mouth. Harry asked, "What potion are you going to brew? Polyjuice?"

Hermione knew her friends were going to be a bit put out with what she was about to tell them, but she knew it was best to tell the truth. "Well, a week or so ago I talked to Malfoy about the predicament with my parents. He had asked me what I was always looking for in the Restricted Section. He ended up sending an owl to his mother asking her to the library in Malfoy Manor for the book I needed. Unfortunately, she sent him a letter back just this morning with some bad news. The book wasn't at the Manor."

"What does this have to do with anything?" growled Ron. "Why are you even talking to him about your personal life?" He smacked his hand on the table surface causing Hermione to flinch. Ginny immediately elbowed him in the ribs; hard.

She then asked, "Is that what you two went off to discuss this morning?"

"Yes, his mother didn't find the book, but she did have an idea for me."

"And what was it?" asked Harry leaning in to listen over the singing table behind him.

"Narcissa suggested that I create a Memory Restorative Potion. I've asked Malfoy to help, of course, so that we can work together; it was his mother's idea after all. If it wasn't for Malfoy and Narcissa, I'd still be looking for that bloody book."

Ron opened his mouth to retort, but promptly shut it upon seeing Ginny's elbow lift. Harry gave Hermione a smile of encouragement. "Well, as long as Malfoy remains civil with you, I don't see a problem with it. Anyways, you two were always top in Potions. You'll certainly have no issues creating a new potion."

"Yeah Hermione. That sounds way more interesting than what I'm doing."

Their food arrived then, effectively ending the conversation. The topic eventually moved from school, to Quidditch, and winter break, before ending up at Harry and Ron's Auror Training.

Harry drank the rest of his butterbeer. "Yeah, so far everything is great. We're still working inside the Ministry, but by Christmas we should be moving on to actual missions."

Ron laughed. "I don't see why we can't go out on missions now. After all, we did move around last year looking for Horcuxes. Plus, Harry defeated the worst wizard of them all."

Hermione sighed heavily. "Yes, Ronald, we _did_ do all those things, but we could have been killed! We were not properly trained at all!"

"Yeah, mate, some of the stuff we're learning could have really come in handy last year."

"We had Hermione though. She's the brightest witch of our age."

Despite the fact that Ron had slapped her, Hermione still blushed at his comment. She ducked her head to avoid his stare. Ginny came to her rescue. "That's beside the point, Ron."

Harry nudged her gently. "Want to take a walk?"

"Yes, please." She took the hand he offered and stood from the table. Before they had even got outside, they could hear Ginny scolding her brother.

The fresh air felt great on her flushed face. Hermione had hoped she wouldn't have to see her ex for quite some time. Seeing Ron so unexpectedly had definitely ruffled her. She and Harry made their way through the town slowly, not speaking, just taking in the fall scenery. They didn't stop walking until they were standing in front of the Shrieking Shack.

The wind blew the hair back from Hermione's face and she closed her eyes letting it relax her. "Windy today," she whispered.

"It's weird being back here. I've missed this-but at the same time, I find myself happy with where I am now."

"Some days I feel like I just should have sat my Newts at the Ministry like so many others." Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear. "It probably would have made things much easier, you know considering..."

Harry gave her a sad smile and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Yes, what are you going to do about that?"

Letting her head drop onto his shoulder, she sighed. "Well, I suppose I'm going to keep it. I couldn't see myself doing anything else."

"Have you talked to McGonagall or Pomfrey yet?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you first. I'll go to them tomorrow." Harry simply bobbed his head once at her statement before moving on.

"When are you going to tell Ron?"

"Honestly I have no idea." She felt tears forming in her eyes again, but was unable to keep them at bay. They cascaded from her eyes as the sobbing took over her body. Harry was a good friend and gently rubbed her back in slow circles until she calmed down a bit. After the tears had disappeared and she'd wiped her eyes and nose on her coat sleeve, Hermione tried talking about the situation once more. "I'm not that far along. After what happened, I don't think I'm ready for him to know yet…I will tell him, but obviously not right now. Clearly, I'm not over it yet."

"I've noticed," Harry replied softly. She knew he was referring to when Ron slammed his hand down on the table at lunch.

Hermione gazed towards the Shrieking Shack before continuing. "I'd always known Ron as being this sturdy, loveable…teddy bear. To have that frame of mind shattered so harshly will take some time to get used to."

"Will you forgive him?"

"Someday."

Harry took her hand in his gloved one and gave it a little squeeze. "I just want you to be happy, and to take care of yourself. I can't always be here and I need to know that you're going to be alright."

She shrugged. "I'll be alright. Things are just different and more difficult now. I'm going to have a baby…before I even finish my NEWTs. Who said life would be easier after the war?" Harry laughed a little and she couldn't help but give him a small smile.

"I will help you as much as I can. I promise."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder and noticed Ron and Ginny coming towards them. "I know you will, Harry. You're my best friend. Now go and spend some time with your girlfriend. She's missed you like crazy."

Harry grinned at her before making his way to Ginny. Ron had stopped walking and was leaning against the fence by the road. Hermione ignored him, opting to smile as Harry gave his girlfriend a loving kiss on the nose before taking her hand and leading her towards a bench. There was no way in hell she was going to hang with Ron, so she walked past him and disappeared into the nearest shop.

Yes, she certainly was not ready to tell him he was going to be a father.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Draco was certain he was going insane. After leaving the library, he had gone back to his room to work on writing up a proposal for the Memory Restorative potion. Instead, he had laid his head down on his soft pillow and fallen asleep. That may seem all fine and dandy, but it was the dreams he'd had that were the troublesome part.

It had started as his normal, War-filled, dreams, but then it had taken a bizarre turn. It morphed into the scene at the Manor—the one where he had been forced to watch Granger have 'Mudblood' carved into the stark white skin of her arm by his dear old Aunt Bellatrix. The difference in the dream was that he stepped in and stopped Bella from finishing her handy work. Then he proceeded to pick Granger up from the floor before carrying her to his room where he fucked her on his bed. Needless to say, Draco awoke with a raging hard-on and a new found problem—apparently, he was attracted to Granger. This was not good.

Sure, he was all 'Redeemed and Accepting of Muggleborns' now, but honestly, this was not something he was ready to deal with. The War had only ended six months ago! Currently, Draco found himself lying on his bed glaring at the ceiling just hoping to figure this one out. He never should have been honest and, ugh, caring with her at the Masquerade Ball. Certainly this had something to do with that night? Those strange stirrings he had felt—they had been leading to this! Granger may be accepting of him now, but he knew she would never want to be with him. (How could she?) Not that he wanted to be with her either! Definitely not. Ever.

Growling to himself, Draco turned his attention to the clock. It was nearly dinner…dinner where he would have to see Granger. He would just have to push this craziness to the back of his head and forget about it. There just were no other options.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Starving was an understatement. Famished was more like it. Hermione knew that being pregnant had its quirks, but never did she expect to be so hungry only a few hours after eating lunch. After her talk with Harry, she'd spent an hour or so roaming through the few shops they hadn't yet been in before her three companions found her. She'd been secretly trying to buy a baby book, but there were so many students in the store that she was unable to acquire one. Harry had whispered that he'd send her one as they slipped back outside into the crisp autumn air. She was so grateful to have such a good friend.

Now they were all hanging at Hagrid's who kept giving her looks that clearly indicated that he thought she and Ron were getting back together. Obviously, their discussion from the last time she visited didn't sink in properly, and she didn't really have the heart to tell him the real truth about the matter.

"Come outside 'arry! I need ter show you somethin'. A new creature I jus' found." Ginny gave Hermione an apologetic look before slipping out the door after her boyfriend.

Hermione sat in the oversized chair quietly hoping that Ron would just leave her alone. No such luck.

"Hermione?"

She glared at him, but did not reply. "I just—I just want to say how sorry I am for what happened. I never meant to hit you. I was just so…so angry at what you said. I regretted it immediately. What do you say, Hermione, will you accept my apology?" He looked her in the eye before his gaze fell upon his folded hands.

Hermione inhaled slowly and deeply, counting to ten in her head. "One, two, three…eight, nine, ten." She finally opened her mouth to speak, still a bit unsure what to say. "Ronald, that last night we were together, I tried to talk to you, but you would not listen. When I finally got to tell you what I wanted to say—you hit me." She stopped to calm herself before she lost control of her emotions. Once she was able, she went on. "You hurt me, Ron. You hurt me worse than I could ever imagine. As of right now, no, I do not accept your apology. I need more time."

All was silent for a minute, but then she flinched backward into the chair as Ron threw his teacup against the wall. It shattered into a million tiny shards. "What the bloody hell, Hermione?" Ron screamed at her as he got to his feet. "I just put myself out there and you still won't take me back. What is wrong with you?"

Before she could open her mouth to reply, Harry burst through the door, Ginny and Hagrid close behind. "Ron! What's going on? Hermione are you okay?" He went straight for her, but she stood before he reached her.

"I'll be fine. Let's go to dinner, shall we?" Hermione was shaking as she walked past her friends and Hagrid. Hagrid looked flabbergasted with a carrot hanging from his hand. Ginny simply fixed the teacup with her wand. Hermione continued talking, "You'll have to ask permission, of course, but I don't see why McGonagall wouldn't allow it." She stomped out the door and began a fast paced walk up the hill to the castle, all the while fighting the tears in her eyes.

Harry caught up to her quickly. "Hermione, are you really alright? What happened?" He was breathing heavily trying to keep up with her.

"Fine." She said in a clipped tone. "Ron simply did not like the answer I gave him to his apology."

Harry didn't get a chance to continue his questioning as Ginny caught up…Ron looking quite put out behind her. Ginny looked like she wanted to ask Hermione something too, but she shook her head at her ginger haired friend; clearly stating she was done talking about it for right now.

The Great Hall became a flutter of excitement when they all entered through the open doorway. Everyone seemed to be whispering about why the great Harry Potter was there. Hermione walked straight up to Professor McGonagall to ask if Ron and Harry could stay for dinner. Unsurprisingly, she granted them permission.

It was hard to ignore all the jealous stares from the members of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff house tables as the group sat together at the Gryffindor table. Luna and Hannah had joined the party, and soon it was as if Harry and Ron had never left Hogwarts at all. Hermione had settled between Harry and Luna with Ron across the table somewhere. She didn't want to even be near him at this point. Her back was to the other tables, so she did not see a certain Slytherin approaching halfway through supper.

She finally registered the angry look on Ron's face a split second before she felt a small tap upon her shoulder. Whirling around on the bench, Hermione was surprised to see Draco standing there; his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Can I help you, Malfoy?"

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Draco asked gesturing towards Ron with his chin.

Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure Ron wasn't about to hex Draco, she replied, "He's here visiting with Harry."

She went to explain more but was cut off by Draco giving a derisive snort. "I understand why Potter is here. He has a girlfriend to see, not to mention the whole Savior thing, but Weasley here has no right."

Ron was now on his feet and Hermione could only cringe at what was about to happen. She needed to get this under control before the faculty noticed and intervened. Draco did have a slight point though. Ron shouldn't be here by her standards—not after what he did. She had nearly forgotten how Draco knew about the incident…nearly.

"I have every right to be here, _Malfoy_. It's you who should be elsewhere." Ron shouted, his face turning bright red. Hermione shot him a glare but it was too late; Malfoy chuckled darkly at him.

"That's rich, Weasel. McGonagall _herself_ helped clear my name just so I could come back here and be Head Boy. You, on the other hand, gave up the position because you were too embarrassed to show your face after what you did to Granger."

If it was even possible, Ron's face took on an even darker shade of red. "Shut it, Malfoy! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be here right now!" Ron was leaning across the table with his hands balled into fists. The other tables had all gone silent to watch the encounter, and Hermione held her breath hoping Draco wouldn't do anything rash…or stupid.

Draco merely leaned back and brushed his hair from his eyes before giving Ron a sly grin. "That's funny, Weasel, but you _would_ think that wouldn't you? In all actuality, McGonagall had been pushing for me to be cleared so I could return as Head Boy since June. It wasn't until you man-handled Granger here and dropped the position that she used all her resources to get me free. If the Ministry hadn't been so slow to get my trial set up, you would never have been offered the position at all."

Now, Hermione's face had gone red. Only her closest friends knew about what Ron did, with the exception of Draco. Now the entire Great Hall knew her business. She wanted to scold Draco for bringing it up, but the flabbergasted look upon Ron's face was quite priceless.

"How dare you." Ron seethed, but then turned his attention to Hermione herself. She shrunk back into Harry's side at the venomous look Ron was giving her. "You told him?! _Him_ of all people?" Ron reached across the table, but was immediately met with six wands pointing at his face. One being Draco's, which, if she remembered correctly, could be in violation of his probation. She wouldn't say anything though—she felt quite flattered by the gesture.

It was Harry who spoke first. "Ron, mate, I believe you need to leave now. I'm just going to say goodbye to Ginny and I'll meet you at the gates." With one last glare at Hermione and Draco, Ron turned and exited the Great Hall. The chatter picked back up as soon as his red hair was no longer visible in the doorway.

Hermione glanced up at Draco from her perch on the bench as he slipped his wand back into his pocket. She opened her mouth to thank him, but Ginny spoke over her. "Way to ruin the party, Malfoy." He merely shrugged and walked away from them, back towards the Slytherin table.

Harry squeezed Hermione's shoulder gently. "I better get going. Remember what we talked about." She nodded so he continued, "Okay, owl me soon, alright?"

"Absolutely," she answered, feeling tears begin to prick the back of her eyes. It was lovely having Harry here again, but now he was leaving and she wouldn't get to see him again until winter holidays.

Harry left the Great Hall with Ginny after saying quick goodbyes to everyone else. Ginny was still mumbling about Draco ruining everything. Soon after, Luna and Hannah dispersed as well leaving just Neville sitting with Hermione.

"You alright, Hermione?" Neville asked with complete concern in his eyes.

She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Yes." One word was all she could manage to get out.

"Do you want me to walk with you back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"Sure." She gave him a tearful smile. "That would be nice."

The two left the Great Hall quietly, but Hermione did not miss the pair of steely gray eyes that followed her until she was out of sight.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

**A/N:** Please Review! I'd love to read what you think about the story so far! I promise to update again as soon as possible!


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